Man shot dead in car with 5-year-old nearby, deputies say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County man accused of shooting and killing a man while a 5-year-old boy was nearby was denied bond on Sunday.

Orange County deputies said the suspect, 26-year-old Jace Gipson, shot and killed 31-year-old Bernard Hildreth in his car on South Orange Blossom Trail last week. Gipson is charged with second-degree murder.

According to newly released court records, Hildreth was in downtown Orlando with a friend the night before he was shot dead. They ran into that friend’s ex and her new boyfriend – Jace Gipson.

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Investigators said when they parted ways, Gipson started calling Hildreth’s friend and harassing him. They said the men agreed to fight it out in the parking lot of a strip club on Orange Blossom Trail.

But investigators said when the men arrived, the friend noticed that his ex had brought their 5-year-old son along. They said the man grabbed his son and drove of as Hildreth and Gipson followed in their own cars.

Deputies said Gipson shot Hildreth while they were driving.

Gipson was arrested Saturday and booked into Orange County Jail, where a judge ruled Sunday that he will stay without bond.

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