A 22-year-old Texas man who made a tearful first appearance before a judge remains jailed without bond in connection with the shooting deaths of his grandmother and grandfather, the latter a minister who worked with the NAACP.
Jeremyah Mikal Jahmal Campbell, of McKinney, Texas, was taken into custody shortly after deputies were called to the West Melbourne home of George White, 83, and his wife Mary White, 81, on July 23.
Campbell, who sat in a wheelchair during his court appearance on July 25, is charged with two counts of second-degree murder without premeditation in the deaths of his grandparents and one count of second-degree murder in connection with the shooting of a 25-year-old woman, a neighbor of the Whites. He remains jailed on a no-bond status on the murder charges.
Brevard County Sheriff’s agents continue to pore over evidence and witness statements to determine what led to the killing of the couple, well known beyond their home in their unincorporated neighborhood.
George White was the current second vice president of the South Brevard branch of the NAACP in Melbourne and a retired minister at Zion Fellowship Church in Melbourne.
“He was a fantastic freedom fighter,” said James Minus, former president of the NAACP branch and a friend of the Whites for the last 15 years.
“I talked with him every day. He was planning to go to Alabama that week. We are still in shock.”
Campbell was visiting his grandparents at the time of the shootings.
George White, Ivey said, was attempting to alert a 25-year-old neighbor to what was happening at his home when the suspect fired several rounds at White and the neighbor, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey reported.
White, reportedly struck in the chest, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The body of Mary White was found in the couple’s home, the sheriff’s office reported.
The neighbor was expected to make a full recovery from a gunshot wound to her leg.
The shooting deaths mark the 11th and 12th reported homicides to take place in Brevard County so far this year.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Or X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.
