LAKELAND, Fla. — A 19-year-old Polk County man faces a charge of first-degree murder for allegedly shooting and killing a man in December 2022.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, La'Darion Chandler, 19, allegedly shot a man in the back on December 17. The victim, identified as a 33-year-old rival gang member John Daniel McGee, initially survived the shooting but later died in January from his injury.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said Chandler was arrested on February 22nd in a separate incident. The PCSO said Chandler was arrested in February for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly pointing a gun at and threatening another person in the Secret Cover subdivision of Lakeland.
While Chandler was in jail on the aggravated assault charge, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said detectives developed probable cause to arrest Chandler for murder, including self-proclaimed rap videos on Chandler's social media pages where he talks about shooting someone in the back.
“He had to make his rap videos. He sent this out for other kids to see," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Chandler faces charges including first-degree murder, convicted delinquent in possession of a firearm, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Judd said as a convicted juvenile Chandler is not supposed to have gun at all. Polk County Sheriff’s Office has a program where anyone who has information about a felon illegally possessing a firearm, can call Heartland Crime Stoppers at 800-226-TIPS (8477) and will get paid $500, if the gun is recovered.
Judd said Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward to recover the gun used in the murder.
“I’ll pay $5,000 for the murder gun and I don’t care who the gangster is holding it or who the mama is holding it. Get it out of the attic, out from under the tree,” said Judd.
Following a shooting that injured 11 people in Lakeland, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies formed a gang task force to combat gang violence in Polk County.
Lakeland NAACP president Terry Coney supports the idea but would like to see community members included in the task force.
“We can help our younger kids not to get involved and get engaged in some of this stuff. I've been told some of these kids are approached as young as 5th grade, 6th grade,” Coney said.
He said it is going to take more than arresting criminals to solve gang violence.
“There is going to be what’s called a Stop the Violence rally in Lakeland on March 18. Which I think is a good thing, because really to get to the root causes of what’s going on, it’s going to take the community," Coney said.
