The Florida teen charged in the mass shooting at Orlando’s Halloween celebration, which left two people dead and six wounded, was a “ticking time bomb” with a history of behavior problems, people who knew him said.
Jaylen Dwayne Edgar, 17, was charged as an adult Monday with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.
The teen’s mother showed up in court this weekend — instead of him — to answer the initial juvenile charges.
Edgar bounced around at different districts during his elementary and middle school years, said Veronica Gutierrez, who has known the teen since he was young.
“He was always getting in trouble,” says Gutierrez. “He had a temper and was just not someone who could be controlled. I don’t know where he ended up going to high school, because I think maybe a lot of options were closed to him because he’s had so many problems.”
Another friend said it was only a matter of time before Edgar got in bigger trouble.
“I am surprised that it happened, but I guess I’m not like totally shocked,” says Louis Acevedo, who lived near Edgar. “He was angry, always ready for a fight. He was a ticking time bomb, I’d say.”
Edgar is accused of opening fire during a Halloween street celebration that more than 50,000 costumed revelers to downtown Orlando’s bar and restaurant district on Friday morning. Two men were killed in the attack.
Up to nine other people were wounded, and a woman was trampled and injured as partygoers fled in terror.
Edgar was tackled by some of the 100 police officers who were patrolling the area, authorities said.
“To shoot into a massive crowd like that shows a total disregard for life and the only recourse is to charge the defendant as an adult because it fits the egregious nature of the crime,” State Attorney Andrew Bain said in a news conference.
“This was a blatant execution in the middle of our streets, and so that’s something that we can’t have in our community.”
Edgar has not yet entered a plea and will remain behind bars with no bond. It’s unclear if he has an attorney at this time.
