Antonio Dominic Tillie Jr

Antonio Dominic Tillie Jr. was a 19-year-old Black man from Jacksonville, Florida. A former student of Raines High School, he was involved in music and was remembered by some as a funny person and a role model. Friends knew him by nicknames including "26 tillie."

On October 6, 2023, Antonio was found shot to death in the backseat of a Mini Cooper on Kylan Drive, near Moncrief Road. In the driver's seat, authorities discovered the body of 31-year-old Bryant Grund, an Uber driver who had also been fatally shot. Investigators quickly determined that Grund was an innocent bystander. As one former Jacksonville Sheriff's Office director put it, Grund was "caught literally in the middle of this $20K hit, unbeknownst to him."

The investigation revealed that Antonio was the target of a gang-related, murder-for-hire plot with a $20,000 bounty on his life. Detectives learned that Antonio had been lured to the location by a woman he had been communicating with on Instagram and through text messages. He believed he was going to meet her for a date.

Police arrested 22-year-old Ju’Quan Mills and his girlfriend, 23-year-old Diamond Harris, for the double homicide. Authorities alleged that Harris was the woman who set up the fatal meeting with Antonio, and that Mills carried out the shooting. Investigators believe Mills collected half of the bounty, a total of $10,000, for the murder.

Ju’Quan Mills was charged with murder and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment. Diamond Harris was initially charged with accessory after the fact, but her charges were later upgraded to two counts of second-degree murder. She subsequently pleaded guilty to her role in the murders of both Antonio Tillie and Bryant Grund. A third suspect was also arrested in connection with the murder-for-hire scheme.

The case is considered solved, with multiple suspects in custody and one co-defendant having entered a guilty plea. The violent incident drew attention to the tragic consequences of gang activity, which claimed the life of its intended target as well as an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.