Jaylen Edgar sentenced to life in prison for 2024 downtown Orlando Halloween shooting

Jaylen Edgar, the man convicted in the 2024 Halloween night shooting in downtown Orlando that killed two people and wounded seven others, was sentenced Tuesday, Oct. 27, to multiple life terms in prison, FOX 35 Orlando reported. The sentencing came four days before Halloween, when crowds are again expected downtown, two years after the gunfire on Orange Avenue sent revelers running.

A jury found Edgar guilty in August of two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder. Tyrek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, were killed in the shooting.

The sentence

The sentencing hearing in Orange County followed the Aug. 24 verdict by about two months. Edgar was 17 at the time of the shooting, so he was not eligible for the death penalty. He was charged and tried as an adult, and life in prison was the maximum sentence he faced.

Edgar has 30 days to appeal, and his attorney told FOX 35 that he will.

What happened on Halloween night 2024

The shooting happened shortly after 1 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2024, as a large crowd filled downtown Orlando near Orange Avenue to celebrate Halloween. Nine people were struck by gunfire, according to WFTV and FOX 35. Two died and seven were wounded. Prosecutors also said a 26-year-old woman was trampled in the chaos as people fled, FOX 35 reported.

Officers reached Edgar within moments. Police body camera footage showed officers tackling him to the ground and handcuffing him, according to FOX 35. He was held without bond at the Orange County Jail while the case was pending.

At trial, prosecutors argued that Edgar went downtown armed and intended to kill. They said he fired nine shots and hit nine people. Assistant State Attorney Frank George told jurors that after Edgar fatally shot Hill, he could have run, thrown away the gun or slipped into the crowd. Instead, prosecutors said, he fired eight more rounds, killing Schmidt and wounding seven others. George asked jurors, according to FOX 35, "If this is not first-degree murder, what is?"

The state presented eyewitness testimony and videos that prosecutors said showed Edgar firing the weapon, WFTV reported. Several people who were wounded testified.

The defense case

Edgar's defense did not dispute that he fired the shots. Defense attorney Junior Barrett argued instead that prosecutors had not proved premeditation, which Florida law requires for a first-degree murder conviction. He urged jurors to decide the case on "evidence, not gut feeling," FOX 35 reported.

Barrett told jurors there was no evidence Edgar argued with or confronted the victims beforehand, no evidence that he emptied his magazine or tried to reload, and that video showed him firing behind himself as he ran away, according to FOX 35. He also argued that someone planning a mass shooting would likely have hidden his face.

The defense rested without calling witnesses, and Edgar did not testify, WFTV reported. In letters to the court, Edgar said he had been experiencing extreme mental or emotional disturbance at the time of the shooting while acknowledging that it did not erase his responsibility, according to WFTV. His attorney said there was no evidence to support an insanity defense.

Jurors sided with prosecutors on every count after several hours of deliberation.

How the case moved through court

The case took nearly two years to reach a sentence, and the trial started months later than first scheduled. Key dates, according to coverage by FOX 35, WFTV and Spectrum News 13:

After the verdict, Schmidt's father said he was relieved the jury did not return a verdict on a lesser charge, according to reports at the time.

How downtown Orlando changed

The shooting prompted immediate action from city hall. In the days after, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer declared a state of emergency for the downtown entertainment district, set a 1 a.m. curfew and banned alcohol sales after midnight. The city lifted the curfew about a week later, as Central Florida Public Media reported at the time.

In the months that followed, the city rolled out a series of downtown safety changes, including a phased plan to reopen Orange Avenue to vehicle traffic on weekend nights, ending years of weekend pedestrian-only closures. City leaders tied the changes to the Downtown Orlando Action Plan.

For Halloween 2025, Orlando police closed Orange Avenue to vehicles after 10 p.m., a move that drew mixed reviews, Spectrum News 13 reported. Ahead of that night, police declined to say publicly whether the closure would happen, saying they plan and staff large events appropriately.

Halloween 2026

Halloween falls on Saturday this year, a night that typically draws heavy crowds to downtown bars and clubs. A detailed Orlando Police Department plan for downtown on Halloween night had not been published in coverage reviewed by The Florida Press as of Wednesday. In August, Spectrum News 13 reported that the department recorded a 20% drop in overall crime since the start of the year, while some business owners near Orange Avenue and Central Boulevard said perceptions of danger persisted.

Anyone planning to go downtown this weekend can check the City of Orlando's road closures page and the Orlando Police Department's announcements for any street closures or event restrictions.

What's next

Edgar's attorney has said he will appeal. A notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days of sentencing, and the case would then go to Florida's Sixth District Court of Appeal, which hears appeals from Orange County.

For the families of Hill and Schmidt and the seven people who were wounded, the sentence closes the trial court phase of the case.