JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The State Attorney’s Office is moving forward with a Jacksonville Beach murder case.
In September, Matthew Swiger, 25, was killed outside of a restaurant on Jacksonville Beach after a fight. Police responded to Oku Restaurant on First Street North, near the Jacksonville Beach Pier, after they got a report of a person shot.
When they arrived, they saw a Swiger lying on the sidewalk near Oku bleeding from his head. He died on the scene.
Several witnesses — and the victim — identified Akiyah D. Price, 28, as the shooter who fled the scene. Price was arrested after police said she fatally shot a man after they got into a fight outside the restaurant.
According to court documents obtained by News4JAX, the state is requesting witnesses, surveillance videos, and evidence photos among other items for the case.
Multiple witnesses told police they saw the victim and a woman wearing a red-hooded sweatshirt get into a fight on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant.
Witnesses said the man ran across the street toward Fourth Avenue North, and the woman followed after him. Witnesses said that’s when they heard several gunshots.
After the gunfire, witnesses saw the victim bleeding from several parts of his body coming back toward Oku, before collapsing on the sidewalk. According to police, as one of the witnesses sat the victim on the ground, the victim stated “Akiyah Price, Akiyah Price, she did this.”
One of the witnesses said he saw Price pull out a gun and shoot the victim multiple times. A second witness, who personally knows Price, also said he saw the fight between her and the victim outside the restaurant and heard the gunshots.
Police said they found six shell casings at the scene and after Price was taken into custody, police found a single spent shell casing outside her front door, which matched the caliber found at the crime scene.
Price worked at a pizza place a few doors down from the shooting for about six months, one of her colleagues there said she kept to herself on the job and never caused any trouble.
Police said alcohol was a factor in this shooting.
Price is being charged with murder and was transported to the Duval County Jail.
She has pleaded not guilty and is expected back in court for a pretrial hearing in November 9.
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