JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A convenience store employee has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting outside a Southside gas station, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Police said 22-year-old Mai-Kel Bryant was taken into custody and booked into the Duval County Jail following the incident.
Officers responded on April 15, 2026, to a gas station on Southside Boulevard after reports of a person shot. When they arrived, they found 36-year-old Omar Padilla unresponsive in the parking lot. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Homicide detectives launched an investigation and determined that an argument had taken place between Padilla and Bryant, who was working at the convenience store.
According to investigators, the dispute began inside the store and continued into the parking lot, where Bryant allegedly shot Padilla before leaving the scene.
Bryant was located a short time later at a nearby residence and taken into custody.
He has been charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.