Elian R. Hughes was 17 when he was shot and killed on August 31, 2017, near the Laurel Oaks Apartments on Sleepy Hollow Road in Leesburg, Florida. He suffered a gunshot wound to the hand and a fatal wound to the abdomen; a bystander took him to a nearby Lowe’s on U.S. 441, from where he was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center and later died after surgery.

Before surgery Elian identified his shooter by the nickname Tarzan. Police linked that name to 17-year-old Mohyjah King, a Leesburg High School student. Witnesses described a teen with dreadlocks fleeing the scene; investigators later found King at his mother’s apartment with a matching Nike sandal and a live round of ammunition. Witnesses also said King cut off his dreadlocks after the shooting and was seen rubbing pepper on his hands, which he said was for the dogs. King was arrested and charged with homicide and possession of a firearm by a minor, and the matter proceeded in juvenile court.

Elian’s mother, Alana Hughes, and the school community mourned his death. If anyone knew Elian, Tarzan, or has information about the events that evening, please come forward.