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Orlando Halloween: What We Know

By the Undercurrent desk · Published

Video · 3:13 · Watch on YouTube

Jaylen Edgar was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 27, 2026, for the downtown Orlando Halloween shooting of Nov. 1, 2024, which killed Tyrek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, and injured seven other people. Edgar was 17 at the time and was prosecuted as an adult. A jury convicted him on all nine counts on Aug. 24, 2026.

What's confirmed

  1. Nov. 1, 2024, just after 1 a.m.shots were fired into a Halloween crowd in downtown Orlando, where an estimated 75,000 people were out. Two men were killed and seven people were hurt. (Spectrum News 13; FOX 35 Orlando)
  2. The victims: Tyrek Hill, 25, of Clermont, who worked for a towing company; and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, a University of Central Florida marketing student. (FOX 35; Spectrum News 13; UCF Student Senate Proclamation 56-53)
  3. Nov. 4, 2024the State Attorney's Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit announced Edgar, then 17, would be prosecuted as an adult. (News4Jax/WKMG)
  4. Nov. 20, 2024an Orange County grand jury indicted him on two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, among other charges. (FOX 35; Spectrum News 13)
  5. August 2026 trialprosecutors told jurors he "went there to kill as many people as he possibly could." The defense did not dispute that he fired; it argued prosecutors had not proven premeditation. (ClickOrlando; FOX 35)
  6. Aug. 24, 2026after about three hours of deliberation, the jury found him guilty on all nine counts. (Spectrum News 13; FOX 35)
  7. Oct. 27, 2026the judge sentenced him to life in prison. Because he was a minor at the time of the shooting, the death penalty was not available. Both victims' families spoke in court. (Spectrum News 13; FOX 35; WFTV; AP)
  8. In court, he read a letter: "I understand that this was a very traumatic event for thousands of people. And I want to apologize for the pain and trauma that was caused." (Spectrum News 13; AP)

What we don't know

  • Whether he will appeal. Reports differ on what comes next, and we have not confirmed it from the court record.
  • Any later sentence review. Outlets disagree on this, so we have left it out until the court's order is available.

What happens next

If an appeal is filed, it will appear on the Orange County Clerk of Courts docket. We'll update this page when it does.

Chapters

  1. 0:00Jaylen Edgar sentenced to life: what we know
  2. 0:19Orlando Halloween shooting: Nov. 1, 2024
  3. 0:42Tyrek Hill and Timothy Schmidt Jr.: who they were
  4. 1:13Jaylen Edgar trial: adult court and verdict
  5. 2:01Jaylen Edgar sentencing: his words in court
  6. 2:31Orlando Halloween case: where it stands

Sources

  1. Spectrum News 13 (Oct. 27, 2026) Reportingmynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2026/10/27/jaylen-edgar-sentenced-to-life-in-downtown-orlando-halloween-shooting
  2. Spectrum News 13 (Aug. 24, 2026) Reportingmynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2026/08/24/jaylen-edgar-found-guilty-in-orlando-halloween-shooting
  3. FOX 35 Orlando (Oct. 27, 2026) Reportingfox35orlando.com/news/man-convicted-downtown-orlando-halloween-shooting-gets-life-sentence
  4. FOX 35 Orlando (Aug. 24, 2026) Reportingfox35orlando.com/news/jaylen-edgar-found-guilty-deadly-downtown-orlando-halloween-shooting
  5. FOX 35 Orlando (Nov. 21, 2024) Reportingfox35orlando.com/news/grand-jury-formally-indicted-teen-behind-downtown-orlando-mass-shooting
  6. FOX 35 Orlando (Nov. 2024) Reportingfox35orlando.com/news/mother-grieves-son-killed-orlando-halloween-mass-shooting
  7. News4Jax (Nov. 4, 2024) Reportingnews4jax.com/news/local/2024/11/04/teen-accused-in-deadly-downtown-orlando-mass-shooting-to-be-charged-as-adult/
  8. UCF Student Senate, Proclamation 56-53 (Mar. 27, 2025) Primary recordstudentgovernment.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2025/05/Proclamation-56-53-Proclamation-in-Memory-of-Timothy-Schmidt-Jr-1.pdf

The record · as of Oct. 30, 2026

How we know

Primary records are court and agency documents; reporting is news coverage we checked against them. How we report.

What happens next

  • Notice-of-appeal window closes (30 days from Oct. 27 sentencing)

We check these records for changes: Edgar post-sentencing coverage.

Verified timeline

  1. 2024-11-01Shortly after 1 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2024, shots were fired on Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando during Halloween celebrations; an estimated 75,000 people were downtown (other reports range 50,000-100,000). Two men died: Tyrek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt Jr., 19, a UCF student. Seven others were shot; one more person was hurt fleeing. (Attribute the crowd size as an estimate.)FOX 35; Spectrum News 13; AP (Yahoo); WKMG; News4Jax
  2. 2024-11-01Orlando police arrested Jaylen Edgar, then 17, at the scene shortly after the shooting (police say; arrest, not guilt, at that time).FOX 35 (indictment story); AP (Yahoo); News4Jax
  3. 2024-11-04State Attorney Andrew Bain announced Edgar, 17, would be charged as an adult, citing 'the brazen nature of the crime and multiple victims who were shot in the middle of the street downtown while simply celebrating Halloween.'News4Jax; Spectrum News 13
  4. 2024-11-20Orange County grand jury indicted Edgar on 11 counts: 2 first-degree murder with a firearm, 7 attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a minor, culpable negligence with personal injury. Indictment returned Wed. Nov. 20, announced Thu. Nov. 21 (FOX 35 dates it Nov. 20, Spectrum Nov. 21 as announcement). Prosecutors said he would be tried as an adult.FOX 35; Spectrum News 13
  5. 2026-08-24Defense rested without calling witnesses; Edgar did not testify. Judge denied the motion to acquit on the seven attempted-murder counts, ruling jurors could infer intent to kill from firing into a packed crowd. Defense acknowledged he fired and contested premeditation; court letters from Edgar cited 'extreme mental or emotional disturbance' while accepting responsibility.WDBO; Orlando Weekly; ClickOrlando
  6. 2026-08-24After about three hours of deliberation on Mon. Aug. 24, 2026, a jury found Jaylen Edgar guilty on all nine counts (2 first-degree murder, 7 attempted first-degree murder). Judge Keith Carsten read the verdict.FOX 35; Spectrum News 13; AP (Yahoo); WDBO; Orlando Weekly
  7. 2026-10-27Tue. Oct. 27, 2026: Edgar, now 19, sentenced to life in prison for the Nov. 1, 2024 shooting; ineligible for the death penalty because he was 17 at the time. Edgar told the court: 'I understand that this was a very traumatic event for thousands of people. And I want to apologize for the pain and trauma that was caused.'Spectrum News 13; AP (Yahoo); ClickOrlando; WESH/WKMG headlines

Also in our research file

Updates and corrections

No corrections to this page. Spot an error? corrections@undercurrentdaily.com

Photos: Orange County Courthouse by Michael Rivera and Josh Hallett; Orange Avenue by Miosotis Jade (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 / CC BY 2.0).

Jaylen Edgar was convicted by a jury and sentenced; trial arguments are attributed to the side that made them. Survivors and witnesses are not named.

Spot an error? Email corrections@undercurrentdaily.com. See our corrections policy. Have information about this case? Contact the investigating agency first.

Part of What We Know: open cases, confirmed facts only · YouTube playlist

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