Almost a year after the 2016 murder of a Gainesville father, five suspects have been taken into custody.
On April 25, Gainesville Police identified five suspects connected to the July 2016 killing of Antonio Mason, 35. In the span of three days, all five of the suspects were taken into custody.
Jacoby Sheffield, 27, Daryl Wilkerson, 25, Jamal Thompson, 21, Rodney Sheffield, 28, and David Lock, 32, have all been connected to Mason’s death, as well as the nonfatal shooting of his infant daughter and a bystander, according to a GPD press release.
On April 25, GPD arrested Wilkerson and Jacoby Sheffield, while Thompson was incarcerated in Georgia, said GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias. At about 10 p.m. April 26, Rodney Sheffield turned himself into the Alachua County Jail. Fewer than eight hours later, Lock also turned himself in, Tobias said.
All five suspects face charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, according to the release.
On July 27, Mason died after four gunmen invaded the house he was in and shot him in the chest, police said. The gunmen also shot Mason’s infant daughter, Zy’mya, whom he was holding during the invasion — as well as a bystander.
GPD believes Rodney Sheffield promised to pay the other four suspects to break into the house, located at 820 NW Fourth Place, under the false impression that someone who lived there had previously stolen money from him, according to the release.
“They broke into the house and just began shooting wildly,” Tobias said.
Zy’mya, who was 11 months old at the time, and the bystander, Jordan Smith, were both hit by gunfire but survived, according to the release.
“The young infant that was shot, that bullet wound in her arm is going to be a somber reminder to her that her father is not there to watch her grow up,” Tobias said.
After the shooting, GPD offered a $3,000 reward for information that would lead to an arrest, according to Alligator archives. In late August, after receiving little information from the first incentive, GPD raised the award to $5,000 and did so again in September to $8,000.
As of press time, Wilkerson, Jacoby Sheffield and Lock remain in the Alachua County Jail, each in lieu of a $3.5 million bond. Rodney Sheffield remains in jail in lieu of a $3.25 million bond.
“We know it’s not closure cause it’ll never bring Antonio back,” Tobias said, “but we’re happy to have brought justice for the family.”
Contact David Hoffman at dhoffman@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter: @hoffdavid123.
