JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Twenty-two-year-old Quinton Gray was a Marine, a bulldog owner and he liked to skateboard.
“The pain is unbearable. I wish that on nobody. To gun my son down like that,” Quinton's mother, Forliesa Gray, said.
Monday, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of Charles Smith III. He was wanted for killing Quinton Gray. The two men were strangers.
“I just want to know why you killed my son. What was the purpose of you gunning him down like a dog in the street?” Forliesa Gray said.
On Dec. 30, Gray and his friend Cedrick Moss were parked at a convenience store in Arlington when they had an encounter with the suspect. Police say Smith gave Gray dirty looks and the two had some verbal back-and-forth.
After the exchange got heated, Gray and Moss drove away. They later turned onto Holly Bell Drive, where they saw the suspect standing on the sidewalk. Smith noticed them, pulled out a weapon and shot Gray in the head, causing him to crash into a tree. The U.S. Marine died Jan. 5 from his injuries.
“Photo spreads were put together and they were shown to the living victim as well as witnesses and they positively identified Smith as the shooter,” JSO Lt. Steve Gallaher said.
Before joining the Marine Corps, Gray wanted to join the police academy. He loved basketball, skydiving and had an outgoing personality. Forliesa Gray said she can rest easier knowing Smith is locked up – but still feels unsettled.
“It won’t be until he gets the death penalty, and then there will be closure.”
Smith faces numerous charges, including murder, attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This is Quinton Gray. He was an active duty U.S. Marine who was shot by someone he didn't even know at a gas station in Jacksonville, and a suspect has been charged:
Posted by Action News Jax on Monday, January 9, 2017
Cox Media Group
