‘We knew he was loved.’ Vigil planned for Manatee High teen killed in shooting
Family and friends of a Manatee High School student who died in a fatal shooting last year are set to hold a community vigil after a major update in the criminal case.
Carter Thomas Layne, 18, pleaded no contest to manslaughter with a firearm during a hearing Friday at the Manatee County Judicial Center, according to court records. A plea of no contest means that a defendant does not admit guilt, but does not dispute the criminal charges against them and accepts conviction.
The charge stems from a March 2024 shooting that killed 17-year-old Jann Michael Feeney. Investigators say Layne shot Jann Michael while the teens were hanging out with friends at a home in West Bradenton. Witnesses say the shooting happened even after others urged Layne not to point the gun at others.
Layne entered the plea about a week and a half before his case was set to go to trial, according to court records.
Court records show Layne had been out on bond since April 2024 but was taken into custody following Friday’s hearing. An attorney representing Layne did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Circuit Judge Frederick Mercurio is scheduled to sentence Layne on Sept. 24. Manslaughter with a firearm is a first-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
In the wake of the plea, a community vigil had been scheduled for Wednesday evening to remember Jann Michael and call for justice. But the weather forced organizer Nancy Ambrose to cancel, with plans to potentially reschedule it for next week.
Ambrose, a neighbor and longtime friend of Jann Michael’s family, said she hopes the gathering will provide space for healing.
“Everybody grieves differently, and so for us to be able to come together as a community and help each other through this process, it’s just really important,” Ambrose said.
Even with more than a year gone by, Ambrose said the weight of Jann Michael’s absence hasn’t eased for those who loved him.
“It’s just unimaginable,” she said. “You just can’t imagine the pain that his family and friends are going through.”
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Shooting kills Manatee County teen
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, a group of teenagers had gathered at a home in the 5900 block of Eighth Avenue Drive West on the evening of March 8, 2024. Deputies say Layne, who was 17 at the time, was drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana with the group when he began recklessly handling a small silver revolver.
According to an arrest report, witnesses told detectives that Layne repeatedly pointed the gun at others and insisted it wasn’t loaded. At one point, another teen pushed the gun away and told Layne not to point it at people, the report states.
Investigators wrote that Layne replied that the weapon was not loaded and pointed it again. The same teen told detectives he wasn’t afraid Layne would intentionally shoot him but was worried the gun would accidentally go off because, as he put it, “the number one rule of gun safety” is “always assume a gun is loaded,” according to detectives.
Deputies say Layne continued pointing the revolver at people in the backyard and was seen “opening the cylinder, taking ammunition out” and “putting it back in.” When he pointed the gun at Jann Michael, detectives said the teen joked that it wasn’t loaded. Layne then pulled the trigger and shot him in the chest, according to the sheriff’s office.
One witness said he heard a bang and saw Jann Michael fall to the ground, according to an arrest report. Another teen, who initially didn’t see the shooting because he was on his phone, told detectives he heard the shot and saw Jann Michael with a gunshot wound to the chest, the report says.
Detectives said that the witness ran inside, yelling, “Call 911, Carter shot JM!” He then grabbed a towel and applied pressure to Jann Michael’s wound while waiting for deputies to arrive.
When first responders arrived, they performed life-saving measures, but Jann Michael was pronounced dead. Most of the other teenagers at the gathering fled on foot after the shooting, according to an arrest report.
Deputies also spoke with a witness who wasn’t present during the shooting but said he saw Layne earlier that day consuming alcohol and playing with the same revolver, the Bradenton Herald previously reported.
‘We knew he was loved’
Jann Michael, a wrestler at Manatee High School, was remembered by his coach, Andrew Gugliemini, as a “perfect gentleman” and “perfect sportsman” in a story published by the Bradenton Herald shortly after the shooting. Gugliemini said the team always wrestled harder knowing Jann Michael had their backs, a quality that defined him on and off the mat.
Outside of school, Jann Michael worked as a server at the Beach House Waterfront Restaurant in Bradenton Beach. His coworkers previously told the Bradenton Herald he was always upbeat and smiling. Culinary director Seth Kondor, who shared a love of wrestling with Jann Michael, said he wished he had more time with him.
A GoFundMe campaign launched by co-workers raised more than $30,000 to help his family with expenses.
“We knew he was loved,” Gugliemini said at the time. “But I think some people are just now figuring out how much.”
Ambrose said Jann Michael was always “coming and going,” involved with friends, sports and school. She remembered how he would invite someone to his lunch table if they were having a bad day. “He was just full of love and compassion for people,” she said.
To honor his memory, the soccer field at the Center of Anna Maria Island, where Jann Michael played sports growing up, will be renamed after him, Ambrose said. A scoreboard that was damaged by a hurricane is being replaced and will display “LLJM,” short for “Long Live JM,” alongside a painting of his favorite animal, an eagle ray. The Center also hosts an annual soccer tournament in his name.
“I think the one thing that a lot of us are taking away from this is, let’s be more like JM,” Ambrose said. “Let’s honor him by being more like him.”
Ambrose was also present at Friday’s hearing and said she felt some relief when the judge ordered Layne into custody.
“There will never be, in my mind, I’ll never feel real justice,” she said. “We can’t bring JM back. But it was a small slice of justice when the judge said there would be no bond, and he was going to jail.”
Feeney vigil in downtown Bradenton
A community vigil in Jann Michael’s honor was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday outside the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., in downtown Bradenton, but it was canceled due to weather.
Ambrose said the event may be rescheduled for July 30, weather permitting.
“Thank you to everyone for all your support and for caring so deeply about JM and justice for JM. The outpouring of love for him has been incredible,” Ambrose wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon.
Organizers have asked attendees to wear green, his favorite color, and bring LED candles and signs reading “Justice for JM.”
The event will feature speakers sharing memories of Jann Michael, a candle-lighting ceremony and a performance of “Amazing Grace.”
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 12:30 PM.
