Teen slain during fight after Ocala high school sporting event, police say

2nd teen critically wounded in shooting, police say

OCALA, Fla. – An 18-year-old was shot and killed and another was critically wounded Tuesday night in Ocala after an off-campus fight following a sporting event at Vanguard High School, police said.

Ocala police said Vanguard High student Jeffrey Scott was slain in the shooting, which was reported around 9 p.m. in the 2200 block of NW 1st Avenue. 

"Our condolences go out to the family of Jeffrey Scott," said Meghan Shay with Ocala Police Department. "Obviously, this is a tragic loss for them. These are young men with their whole lives ahead of this. It's really unfortunate that this occurred."

Marcus Cooper, a former student at the school, was injured in the shooting and taken to a hospital, police said.

According to police, several teens got into an altercation, leaving one person badly beaten. The victim fled the scene and two of his friends drove a gold Toyota Camry to his home to look for him, police said.

Three males in a white Mazda blocked them in near the entrance of Pavilion Oaks, exited the vehicle and shots were fired, police said.

Scott and Cooper suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to a hospital, police said. Scott died early Wednesday, according to police.

No arrests have been made.

 "Things don't have to become violent," Shay added. "They don't have to handle any circumstances like they did with this last night. They need to understand the reality of those outcomes. When they engage in that type of behavior, people will lose their lives." 

"We will not be releasing names of the vehicle occupants, who fired the weapons, or how many shots were fired at this time," Ocala police said in a news release. "All relevant parties have been located and interviewed by Ocala police detectives."

An investigation is ongoing.

Marion County Public Schools said grief counselors will be at Vanguard High on Wednesday and will stay there as long as they are needed.

Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates.


About the Author:

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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