INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Jury selection started Monday for the trial of Jamal Riggins, a former Sebastian River High School football standout who deputies said killed a teenager during a drive-by shooting five years ago. Riggins fired shots toward a crowd, ultimately claiming the life of Christard Hicks, an innocent bystander who was hanging out with a group of friends, reports show.
Jamal Riggins
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY INDIAN RIVER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
The shooting happened during the afternoon of April 20, 2018 in the 4400 block of 25th Avenue in Gifford. Hicks, of Fort Pierce, was a week shy of his 20th birthday, had dreams of becoming a professional baseball player and was a good-hearted teen that befriended anyone he met, relatives previously said.
Riggins’ trial will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday and was expected to continue through Friday, Circuit Court Judge Robert Meadows said. Assistant State Attorney Bill Long will prosecute the case, while Defense Attorney Adrienne Bucchi will represent Riggins.
Riggins, now 25, has been held at the Indian River County Jail without bond since his arrest in connection with the shooting. The gunfire stemmed from an argument between Riggins and one of Hicks’ friends, reports show. Meadows said Riggins has plead not guilty in the case.
In July 2018, a grand jury indicted Riggins on charges including first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder, four counts of attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Nearly 10 minutes before gunfire, Riggins and Hicks’ friend got into an argument on 33rd Avenue, reports show. Hicks and his friends then drove to a home less than a mile away on 25th Avenue.
Christard Hicks PHOTO PROVIDED BY HICKS’ FAMILY
Shortly after, a black Chrysler Sedan drove by the residence with someone firing bullets from the vehicle. Several witnesses identified Riggins as the front-seat passenger who shot toward the crowd, reports show.
Hicks, who was struck, was taken to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Deputies arrested Riggins, along with his older cousin Dominique Riggins, who deputies said was the driver in the drive-by shooting. After the shooting, Jamal Riggins told a friend that “Christard was never the target,” court records show.
