What began as unresolved conflicts between young adults in Lake Wales ultimately ended in violence, leaving one young man dead and altering the lives of many others. In the days following the December 2 shooting, little was known beyond the identities of those involved. Court records now provide a clearer account of the events that unfolded that afternoon and the circumstances that investigators say led to the fatal encounter.
According to arrest affidavits filed in Polk County court, Lake Wales Police Department officers and detectives responded at approximately 1:13 p.m. on December 2 to a reported shooting near South Ninth Street and Columbia Avenue. Upon arrival, officers located 20-year-old Jayvyn McFadden suffering from gunshot wounds on the north side of a residence at 633 South Ninth Street. Court records state McFadden was later pronounced deceased at 2:05 p.m. at Lake Wales AdventHealth.
The affidavits describe an ongoing dispute between groups of individuals who were familiar with one another. According to a witness statement included in court records, tensions between the groups had existed prior to December 2, and the witness told investigators there had been “multiple shootings between the two groups over the past few years.” That statement is attributed to a witness and documented in the affidavit…