A 35-year-old man is facing up to life in prison after Orange County jurors found him guilty of murder in connection with a shooting in an Orlando hotel lobby that left one man dead in 2021.
On Wednesday, the State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit announced that Jackson Charles, 35, has been convicted of second-degree murder with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The charges stem from a shooting incident that occurred on June 2, 2021, at the Days Inn hotel located in the 3300 block of South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando.
According to court records, Charles and the victim, 30-year-old Randolph Chamberlin, got into a physical altercation in the lobby of the hotel on the day of the shooting. Charles proceeded to enter the hotel lobby, and he was closely followed by the victim.
Charles then grabbed a firearm from his bag. Moments later, Charles and the victim began pushing each other. During the altercation, Charles shot the victim a total of four times: once in the chest and three times in the head and neck.
The hotel’s surveillance cameras captured the incident on video.
An employee at the hotel witnessed the incident and identified Charles as the shooter. A hotel manager also recognized Charles and described him as being a “frequent guest.”
Following the shooting, Charles was observed running away from the hotel’s parking lot and down Orange Blossom Trail.
A warrant was issued for Charles’ arrest, and he was eventually located by law enforcement and taken into custody on June 9, 2024.
During a trial spanning five days, Charles claimed self-defense in the shooting. However, the hotel’s video surveillance footage of the incident showed that Charles was the “primary aggressor who initiated contact with the victim.”
In addition, Charles is a convicted felon, and the law requires that he “retreat from threats before engaging in physical contact.”
The trial concluded with jurors finding Charles guilty of second-degree murder and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He will be sentenced later this year, and he is facing a maximum penalty of life in prison.