about to witness. Shot in the neck, I
think.
>> Shot in the neck?
On June 24th, 2024,
Escambia County deputies responded to a
stolen vehicle report that escalated
into a targeted drive-by shooting, a
high-speed pursuit, and a bridge jump
that left one suspect dead.
This is the Legal Breakdown. Shot in the
neck, I think. Shot in the neck? They
shot you? We don't know. I don't know.
Baby, you didn't see nothing?
No car, no nothing? It was JUST A WHITE
CAR. WHITE CAR?
Stolen car.
Oh, damn.
Try to talk to this man living in the
car of Tal Center here.
Going out with you,
County 3.
I'm going to look up the internet. Yeah,
it's love. It's It's going to be love. I
hit this right here. It's that first one
right there. It's a You take care of it.
All right, don't don't I know it's all
right. Just don't ride around. Yeah,
yeah, yeah. This is This is my uncle's
house. He just passed away. We came over
What you say, Willie AJ?
Everybody know I've been around 17
years. Everybody know Willie. Okay,
Willie. All right.
All right, you Make sure you get that
lease printed out. Okay? All right.
Car 37.
Car 37. Car 37.
Car 371, I'm 97 on a 32. Victim keep it
10-8. We need an ambulance en route.
Shot in the neck, mama.
All right, I need somebody to scoot over
for me.
Scoot over. Scoot over this way.
Got it, man. I got it.
Talk to me, ma'am.
What happened?
What happened? I don't know. I'm right
here.
Apply pressure to her.
They took my phone CUZ WE HAD THAT JOB.
WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE IT WAS. HEY,
BABY. Who shot you? 27 at the LA
Fitness. Where she shot at? She got hit
in the neck.
>> Shot in the neck.
Heavy EMS coming.
Yeah. Get up.
Get up. Get up. Get them room. Let her
breathe. Get up.
You all right?
You good?
Do you know Do you know what happened?
Do you know what happened?
Hey, so pressure on the
Hey, hey. THEY TOOK MY PHONE CUZ WE HAD
THAT JOB. WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE IT
WAS. HEY, HONEY. Who shot you? We don't
know. I don't know. Baby, you didn't see
nothing?
No car, no nothing? It was JUST A WHITE
CAR. WHITE CAR? All right. That's vague
description. Unknown shooter. White car
last seen westbound Air Force Road.
Stay leaning this way. It's all right,
Mommy.
We're with you. Let them work, okay?
All right. It's all right, man. See
anything? All I know is a blue one was
shooting behind me, man. With a jet or
what?
I don't know what it was. It was a white
car.
All right.
She's been shot anywhere else?
I need
Share, I need you to hold her head while
I get this here.
There we go. She's been shot anywhere
else?
She's okay.
You got that, partner?
I got her head. Wait. Wait. Small car,
man.
You got more? Yeah, I got more. Give me
one more. Here.
I got plenty.
Whatever you guys need, I got square
bandages, too, if you need those.
Just cut it. Just do it all. Yep. Do it
all. All right. There you go.
All right. Here's some more.
I swear he's black.
You put that on top.
Hang on. I'm trying to
put pressure.
All right.
Hey, all he knows is a small white car.
Ain't no [ __ ] white. You better stop.
I'm stopping God.
Car 7.
It's all he is. What kind of car was it?
Yeah, she's spitting up. That's all he
is. Hey, nobody. Nobody. Yep, you're
doing good. Yes, ma'am. It's all right.
It's okay. You're doing Let's keep
talking to us, all right? It's okay.
If you need to spit out blood, go ahead
and spit it out, okay?
It's right here.
>> I'm hot. I know you are.
I know you are.
I know it's hot.
What's her name?
What's your name, mama?
Myra. Myra? What's your last name, Myra?
Hayes? Myra Hayes. What's your date of
birth, Myra? 225554
225554
So, Myra, if you need to spit out that
blood, go ahead and spit it out for us,
okay?
Right here, okay? You're good. You're
okay. Don't you choke on it. You're
doing good. No, no, you know what I'm
talking about?
What she say? 225 what?
5225
And I believe 5 was the ending. 54 54
There you go. Yes, 54. Yep.
Sir.
Yeah.
Huh?
No, we're just we're trying to just
and stuff on her.
Sir, we're right here with you, Myra,
okay?
We're right here with you. Don't move
too much, all right, Myra. I know it's
hot. Come on.
Stay with it. Stay with it.
Get him out.
FREEZE. [ __ ] SHOW ME YOUR
HEY, STOP THE DOG. GET HIM WITH THE DOG.
IN THE WATER. IN THE WATER.
DEPUTIES HAD two independent bases for
pursuit of confirmed stolen vehicle and
witness statements linking it to an
active shooting scene on Harris
Boulevard.
Under Illinois versus Wardlow, decided
in 2000, unprovoked flight from police
in the context of known criminal
activity satisfies the threshold for
lawful pursuit.
Both conditions were clearly met before
the chase began. The PIT maneuver,
precision immobilization technique,
constitutes a Fourth Amendment seizure,
meaning it must be legally justified as
a use of force.
The controlling precedent is Scott
versus Harris, decided by the Supreme
Court in 2007, which held that officers
may use significant force to terminate a
high-speed pursuit when the fleeing
suspect poses a substantial and
immediate threat to public safety.
Three armed individuals fleeing an
active homicide scene at over 100 mph
through residential traffic met that
standard without question, applying
Graham versus Connor, the 1989 Supreme
Court standard for all use of force
analysis.
Reasonableness is judged from the
perspective of a reasonable officer at
the moment of the decision, not in
hindsight.
At that moment, deputies knew the
vehicle was stolen, the occupants were
armed, and a 70-year-old woman had just
been critically wounded in a targeted
attack.
The decision to execute the PIT maneuver
was constitutionally sound. When all
three suspects jumped from the Escambia
River Bridge, deputies were legally
obligated to shift from a pursuit
posture to a search and rescue
operation.
This transition is not discretionary.
Discretionary officers carry a duty of
care obligation once individuals are in
the water, regardless of the crimes they
are alleged to have committed.
The body cam confirms deputies made that
shift immediately, deploying boats,
drones, and ground units without delay.
Canine deployment at the bridge was
preceded by repeated and audible verbal
warnings, a legal prerequisite under
established use of force doctrine.
Deploying a police dog without prior
warning constitutes excessive force
under the Fourth Amendment. That line
was not crossed here. The warnings were
issued. The suspects chose not to
comply. The deployment was lawful. Are
you getting ready to throw a drone out?
All this guy is doing is fleeing with
that suspect.
The car has got a good look at him.
252 to 42.
We'll be launching a johnboat from the
salvage company under the bridge. Should
we go north or
52.
For a life jacket? No.
Hey lieutenant, we're launching the boat
now.
260, you got a hot mic.
This way. We have one 260 in the brush.
We have one north here in the shoreline.
260.
Yeah, I got I got flare.
You go to five. Go ahead.
He goes. There he goes. He dropped the
jacket and he's on a one man raft in the
back.
Hey, direct us in with the smoke,
please.
How's the smoke looking?
Yes, sir.
We're going to go that way.
All right, 10-4. He's actually kind of
working his way back to the other
waterway that leads to the east of us.
So, you guys may want to use the one we
are. You may want to go to the next one.
Go that way.
I don't care about wake zone if you can
hammer down on it.
Take that first right this way.
Yeah.
How far up in the marsh can you
Go this side.
Hey, can you see us in the lake?
Can you see where that grass is?
Are you tied up right here?
Oh, wait. Can we go back right where
that guy's at?
We'll go between the two pylons.
Between those two pylons.
Come on, Bessie.
We're moving it to it now.
You want me to go in through right here?
Watch out. Let him get that paddle out.
Go around this
We're working to the pylons. This is
This is real shallow, so we're having a
hard time navigating it, but
Hey, uh Sergeant Miller, call us.
Come out here. COME TO US. WE'VE GOT A
BOAT. GET OUT HERE.
STAND UP.
STAND UP. WE'RE GOING TO SEND A DOG TO
YOU. GET OUT HERE. THE CANINE UNIT WILL
BITE YOU. COME ON. WALK OUT.
WALK OUT. NOW.
HANDS UP. WALK OUT.
WALK OUT.
KEEP WALKING. KEEP WALKING.
HEY, WILL you bring him? Yeah, bring
him. He jumped off the bridge. Tell him
to get over here.
You got it. Yeah, I got the guy.
He's in the boat. He's in the boat. Face
down. Face down. Face down. Face down.
Face down. Face down.
You got cuffs? Yeah.
You you any guns with you?
What's that you have with you?
Copy 10-15 90. Check the area for
weapons.
Okay, he's in the brush?
>> let's go drop him off and we'll come
back.
You want to have one drop off over there
before we go in there?
Okay.
Let's hold him. All right.
I I promise I ain't got I got you.
I promise.
Yeah, you got to throw that to me.
Okay.
No, sir.
What's your buddy wearing right there? I
don't know. I don't even know him. I was
trying to get up.
I swear to god. I got you. Full time.
Hey, go far back with him if possible.
I'm trying to push this back.
No, you're good. It's It's really thick
there.
Where'd the other guy go?
Sir? Where'd the other guy go? I don't
know. I'm sorry. I promise. I don't even
know them.
Got it. Yeah, it's super muddy right
here.
Yeah, yeah.
Do you need a board? No, we need to go
in reverse. Back up. Okay.
Officer, can I sit on my behind, please?
What? Can I sit on my behind, please?
>> No, you need to stay like that for now.
We can take the weight off of the thing.
All right. I'm going to need a little
bit of help getting up. It's super
muddy.
Yeah.
All right, here, give me a paddle. I'll
push off the front. All right, grab
here.
Car 42.
Do you have anything on you? No,
sir. I promise you.
I promise to god I don't have [ __ ]
So, exactly how you see me is exactly
how it was.
42, nothing further needed for now.
>> Freaking walk, dude.
Dude, I'm on top of a bridge and
The attack on Myra Hayes supports a
charge of first-degree premeditated
murder under Florida statute section
782.041
AI.
Premeditation does not require extensive
planning. It requires proof that the
defendant formed the intent to kill
before the act.
Jaquarious Ethridge later admitted all
three drove to Aros Boulevard that
evening with specific targets and loaded
weapons intending to retaliate for a
prior incident.
That admission combined with the
physical evidence satisfies the
premeditation element independently of
any confession. The death of Trevion
Martin, who died from injuries sustained
jumping from the bridge, introduces a
second homicide theory, the felony
murder rule.
Under Florida statute section 782.041
A2,
a co-conspirator is guilty of
first-degree murder if a death occurs
during the commission of a specifically
enumerated felony, including murder
itself.
Martin died while the group was actively
fleeing from a homicide they had just
committed.
Florida courts have consistently held
that deaths which are a foreseeable
consequence of the underlying felony
fall within this doctrine.
This means both Ethridge and Gross face
murder liability not only for Hayes,
but for the death of their own
associate. Fleeing and eluding resulting
in death is codified under Florida
statute section 316.19354
as a first-degree felony
as a first-degree felony carrying up to
30 years in prison.
This charge operates independently of
the murder counts, meaning a conviction
on fleeing alone carries substantial
prison exposure before any homicide
liability is calculated.
Terrence Gross Jr. was convicted on all
charges, first-degree murder, shooting
into a dwelling, and fleeing law
enforcement.
He received life in prison without the
possibility of parole plus an additional
30 years.
Jaquarious Ethridge
degree premeditated murder charges and
remains awaiting trial at the time of
this analysis. The Escambia County
Sheriff's deputies involved receive an
A- minus. Emergency trauma care was
administered calmly and effectively
under chaotic conditions. The pursuit
was legally initiated with proper cause.
The PIT maneuver was consistent with
both case law and department policy.
Water apprehension of Ethridge was
conducted with appropriate warnings and
proportionate force at every stage.
The area warranting continued review is
whether additional de-escalation
dialogue at the bridge prior to the jump
could have altered the outcome for
Moton.
That question does not affect the legal
justification, but it is a legitimate
tactical consideration for future
training. Jaquarious Ethridge and
Terrence Gross Jr. each receive an F.
They participated in a premeditated
targeted shooting that critically
wounded an innocent 70-year-old woman in
her own front yard.
They fled at dangerous speeds through
civilian traffic, abandoned a stolen
vehicle, and made the decision to jump
from a bridge, a choice that killed
their own co-conspirator.
Ethridge initially lied to
investigators. Gross fled to Texas and
attempted to cross into Mexico.
There is no legal or factual framework
under which any aspect of their conduct
merits a higher evaluation. Three
takeaways from this incident. First,
premeditation is established by conduct,
not confession. The weapon, the
destination, the stated target, and the
act itself constitutes sufficient
evidence of prior deliberation under
Florida law.
Second, the felony murder rule creates
liability without a trigger.
Any co-conspirator in a dangerous felony
that results in death, including the
death of another conspirator, may be
charged with first-degree murder.
Third, high-speed flight from law
enforcement is itself a first-degree
felony in Florida. It is not a neutral
act. It carries independent criminal
exposure that stacks on top of every
underlying charge. Let us know if there
is an interaction or legal topic you
would like us to discuss in the comments
below.
Thank you for watching. How long you
want to go in first? You want to leave
first? No, we're going to slowly get up
there.
Yeah, take a left.
I just got back outside. All right.
Make sure it's still clean in the back
here, partner. Oh, it is.
Watch it.
Watch it.
So, right where that brush is laid down
by the dead tree, right there, right?
Right straight ahead.
Straight ahead? Yeah, straight ahead. Go
straight.
Come out or WE'RE SENDING THE DOG.
I DON'T THINK IT IS THERE.
YOU WANT YOU WANT ME TO GO down first or
you want me to