Police Chief Jakari Young announced Wednesday during a news conference that a 19-year-old Florida man accused of gunning down a “openly gay” man he met on the internet in February believed the victim could had outed his sexual orientation to someone else.
The investigation started around 2 a.m. Thursday, June 23, when a guy, identified by police as 19-year-old Telan Mann, was discovered fatally shot on a walkway near Oak Tree Circle and Forest Glen Boulevard.
Specifics about the situation surrounding the shooting, as well as details about a suspect, were not available immediately.
Chief Young told the media Wednesday that after more than 100 hours of analyzing video surveillance from local businesses, including Bethune Cookman University, they were able to locate the suspect, 19-year-old Jakari Webb’s actions before and after Mann was gunned down.
Police tracked his movements to a residence on Garden Street, a few miles from the scene of the crime.
Webb was apprehended by Daytona Beach police shortly after officers discovered him while serving a search warrant at a residence on Garden Street around 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, June 28th.
A pistol was also discovered at the house. He is being held in jail without bond in the Volusia County Jail on a first-degree murder charge.
Chief Young also stated that talks are being held with the State Attorney’s Office about pursuing a hate crime charge.
Mann is also charged with probation violation and resisting arrest after attempting to flee SWAT and K-9 officers when he was discovered at the Garden Street residence.
According to law enforcement, the pair had been conversing on social networking sites since February, and the day of the shooting is thought to be the very first time they made a decision to meet face to face.
“You have two 19-year-olds who barely lived,” Chief Young said. “They just started their lives. You basically have two lives lost one to the grave the other to the prison system.”
