By Staff Writers

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 17-year-old, Ze’kayvion Markese Brey’on Clemons, is facing adult charges of attempted first-degree murder, following allegations that he shot a man three times in the torso during a July 2025 incident.

The shooting occurred around 5:54 p.m. on July 28, 2025, when deputies from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office were called to an apartment complex in the Tower Oaks area. Upon arrival, they discovered the victim outside Clemons’s residence, suffering from three gunshot wounds. While deputies administered first aid, the victim reportedly identified his shooter as “KB.”

According to a witness, tensions had been escalating between the victim and Clemons, alongside his friends, due to suspicions of thefts in the neighborhood. The situation reached a boiling point when Clemons’s mother allegedly argued with the victim at her front door. Although the victim appeared to confront her, there was no indication of impending violence. However, the victim reportedly saw Clemons pick up a firearm inside the apartment, and as he retreated, Clemons allegedly shot him three times.

Clemons’s mother offered her version of events, stating that during the confrontation, the victim approached her juvenile daughter aggressively. In response, Clemons asked his mother to step aside and then fired a handgun at the victim. She noted that while the victim was unarmed during the altercation, she had seen him earlier that day with a “long rifle-type firearm.” She also mentioned that the victim had threatened to “shoot it up” amid the argument.

Two witnesses said the door was closed after the shots were fired, but an unknown person kicked the door in, so all the occupants of the apartment ran out the back door, and Clemons could not be found while deputies were at the scene.

Deputies obtained consent to search the apartment and reportedly found two shell casings inside the apartment and one shell casing outside, a few feet from the front door. Two unloaded 9mm magazines were reportedly found in Clemons’s bedroom.

In an interview the next day, a witness reportedly confirmed that Clemons goes by “KV” and that he took the gun with him when he ran and dropped it somewhere. A second witness said that the victim later confirmed that “KV” had shot him; that witness identified Clemons in a photo line-up as the person he knew as “KV” or “KB.”

Three days after the shooting, a deputy met with Clemons and his mother at the Alachua Police Department, and Clemons’s mother said she would not allow him to be interviewed, but he would provide a written statement. The statement reportedly said that the victim had been harassing Clemons for a month and had displayed handguns. Clemons reportedly wrote that when the victim came to his apartment, he made a comment about “finna shoot dat sh** up” and then moved closer to the door and closer to his juvenile sister. Clemons reportedly wrote that the victim had a gun at his side, and he wrote that he “shot him 3 times.” Clemons wrote that the victim was told to leave the apartment, but he did not leave.

After the deputy read the statement, Clemons’s mother reportedly told him that the victim had been seen earlier in the day with a firearm, but she did not see a firearm during the argument at her apartment; she said the victim was “chest to chest” with her when he started making comments toward her daughter.

Extensive K-9 searches in the area behind the apartment were done after the incident, but no firearm was found.

About a week after the incident, the victim had recovered enough to speak with a deputy, and he reportedly said he had suspected that Clemons had stolen items from his vehicle, and on the date of the shooting, he saw Clemons and became upset. He said he went to Clemons’s apartment to “communicate his displeasure of the situation,” and while he was speaking with Clemons’s mother, he saw another male in the apartment hand a firearm to Clemons; before he could retreat, he said, Clemons shot at him. He said he fell down and started crawling away, and Clemons came outside and shot at him again. The victim said he never had a gun and never entered the apartment.

The deputy noted that Clemons shot the victim, who was unarmed at the time, and continued shooting at the victim outside the apartment after there was clearly no threat from the victim.

At the time of the incident, Clemons was on juvenile probation and had a curfew starting at 7 p.m., and he violated the curfew when he ran from the apartment. Clemons was initially arrested for attempted second-degree homicide and violating juvenile probation, and he has now been charged as an adult with attempted first-degree homicide. Judge Meshon Rawls ordered him held without bail pending a hearing on a motion from the State Attorney’s office to hold him without bail until trial; if the judge denies the motion, bail will be set at that hearing.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.