BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Telegraph Staff Writer
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said one person is dead and another hospitalized after the two tried to help a friend who was estranged from her ex-boyfriend.
Deputies arrested 20-year-old John Jacob Thornton of Keystone Heights on Saturday, June 24 for second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.
According to a sheriff’s office news release, both shooting victims had occasionally allowed Thornton’s ex-girlfriend to stay at their home.
The agency said that deputies found a 23-year-old male in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds when they arrived at a residence on State Road 100, near Lake Geneva. They found a 21-year-old female inside the residence with a single gunshot wound.
Clay County Fire Rescue pronounced the male dead, and the female was transported to a hospital.
“The female victim provided deputies with the name of the shooter…who fled the scene,” the office said. “CCSO immediately alerted surrounding agencies, providing a description of the suspect and the pickup truck he was driving.”
Bradford deputies later apprehended the defendant.
The agency said Thornton arrived at the home uninvited and was confronted by both victims, who told him to leave.
“After attempting to reenter the residence, Thornton produced a shotgun and shot both victims,” the office said.
Sheriff Michelle Cook extended her condolences to the victims and said she hoped the hospitalized victim fully recovers.
“The victims were trying to help a friend and sadly became the target of the suspect,” she said. “Domestic violence is a real issue, and I encourage individuals who are victims of domestic violence or know someone who is to immediately contact the sheriff’s office at 904-264-6512.”
Cook added that domestic violence incidents may be reported anonymously through the office’s SaferWatch smartphone app.
