Jurisprudence
Aug 11, 20264:44 PM
Al Diaz/Adiaz@Miamiherald.Com/Miami Herald via ZUMA Press Wire
On June 26, 2025, longtime friends Jamarian Byrd and Travis Roberts Jr. were standing outside 504 Quail Lane in Macclenny, Florida. Around 7:45 p.m., two white teens approached them carrying firearms. One of them, 19-year-old Devin “D.J.” Powers, pointed his single-shot shotgun at 22-year-old Byrd and 24-year-old Roberts. A shot rang out and—fearing for their lives—Byrd and Roberts fired back. Twenty-six seconds later, according to a neighbor’s home-surveillance video, Powers lay bleeding on his own porch steps, shot once through the neck. He died three days later. His 14-year-old companion survived a shot to his leg.
Byrd and Roberts did not know their attackers. Earlier that day, however, witnesses testified that Powers had argued with a mutual acquaintance of Byrd and Roberts named Bud. The two tussled over a gun that Powers allegedly pointed at Bud, at which point Bud grabbed the firearm and slapped him. Family members shared that Powers returned home, grabbed another weapon, and was eager to settle the score. Although they tried to persuade him to remain indoors, he and the younger teen left the house two times, armed and ready for a fight.
