Man sentenced to life for deadly shooting outside Marion County middle school
Roderick Kelvin Watson Jr. [Credit: Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit, Florida]
OCALA, Fla. - A 36-year-old man has been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing a man outside a Marion County middle school following a student awards ceremony in 2024.
A jury found Roderick Kelvin Watson Jr. guilty Thursday of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Joseph James Jaurez Coles, according to the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office. Circuit Judge Barbara Kissner-Kwatkosky sentenced Watson to life in prison following the verdict.
Shooting followed student awards ceremony
The backstory:
The shooting happened May 22, 2024, in the parking lot of North Marion Middle School after an awards ceremony attended by students, families and school staff.
Marion County sheriff's deputies responding to the school found Coles suffering from four gunshot wounds. He later died.
Investigators said Coles had become involved in an argument with another person over a custody dispute when Watson intervened.
Witnesses told investigators that Coles turned to walk away after Watson became involved. Prosecutors said Watson then shot Coles several times.
Authorities said Watson repeatedly punched Coles after he fell to the ground, then kicked him in the head before walking away.
Watson claimed self-defense
Watson told law enforcement that he shot Coles in self-defense, according to prosecutors. After he was taken into custody, investigators said Watson declined to provide a statement after being advised of his rights.
Roderick Kelvin Watson Jr. [Credit: Office of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit, Florida]
Investigators collected evidence from the scene and interviewed several witnesses before Watson was charged.
State attorney: Shooting exposed children to violence
Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson said the shooting turned what was supposed to be a school celebration into a scene of violence.
"A school campus should be a place where children learn, achieve, and celebrate their accomplishments — not a place where an adult illegally brings a firearm and uses it to take another person's life," Gladson said.
Gladson said the shooting killed a man and exposed students and others at the school to "a horrific act of violence."
"This conviction holds the defendant accountable, and the life sentence imposed reflects the gravity of his crime," Gladson said.
Assistant State Attorney Toby Hunt prosecuted the case.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the ffice of the State Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit, Florida.