Investigators say the victim carried a BB gun but never pointed it at the man now charged with second-degree murder.

MIAMI, FL — A Miami man accused of killing his roommate claimed he fired because he feared the other man was armed, but police say witness statements, surveillance footage and evidence recovered from the home raised serious questions about his account.

Jermaine Carol Grant is charged with second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the July 4 shooting death of 38-year-old Xavier Pringle. Grant was arrested the following day and ordered held without bond after his first court appearance. An arrest affidavit described a household dispute that grew from a tense exchange in the kitchen into a burst of gunfire. The filing also detailed what Grant told detectives, including his acknowledgment that Pringle never pointed a weapon at him. Grant has been accused, not convicted, and the claims in the affidavit have not yet been tested at trial.

Police were called to the Miami residence at about 7:40 p.m. after receiving a report that someone had been shot. Officers found Pringle suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and began lifesaving measures. He was taken to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he later died. As responders treated him, officers noticed what appeared to be a weapon in his waistband. Investigators later determined that the item was a BB gun rather than a firearm capable of firing conventional ammunition. The distinction became central to Grant’s reported explanation for the shooting.

The evidence collected inside the house did not end with the BB gun. According to the affidavit, police initially saw three spent shell casings. After obtaining a search warrant and conducting a broader examination of the residence, investigators reported finding 11 9 mm shell casings and three projectiles. They also recovered a black Smith & Wesson M&P Shield from another room. Blood was found on the floor near the home’s entryway, while the BB gun was located on the kitchen counter during the search. Authorities have not publicly released a full forensic report tying each recovered item to a particular moment in the shooting.

Investigators also obtained indoor Ring camera footage from the property owner. Police said the recording appeared to show Grant firing toward the area where Pringle was later found on the kitchen floor. Audio captured during the incident allegedly recorded Grant yelling that Pringle had a gun. The footage could become one of the case’s most important pieces of evidence because it may allow prosecutors, defense lawyers and eventually a jury to compare Grant’s statements with his movements and the timing of the shots. The complete recording had not been publicly released as of Aug. 2.

Two people who were inside or immediately outside the residence gave police accounts of what happened. One was Pringle’s girlfriend. The other was a male witness who reportedly identified Grant as the shooter. That witness told officers he heard about six popping sounds and then entered the room where Pringle had fallen. He found Pringle curled on the floor and began chest compressions, according to the affidavit. His account placed him near the immediate aftermath, but the publicly reported portions of the document do not indicate that he saw every stage of the confrontation.

Pringle’s girlfriend described the dispute as beginning with a small incident in the kitchen. She said Pringle had gone there to break up ice that he liked to chew. From another room, she heard Grant accuse Pringle of splashing water on him. The accusation appears minor when viewed alone, but witnesses said tension had already been building between the roommates. The girlfriend said the exchange became heated, prompting her to go outside with Pringle and try to calm him while they smoked. Pringle then returned to the house, she told investigators.

The male witness later approached Grant and Pringle, according to the girlfriend’s account, but Grant told him to leave. The witness joined her outside. They then heard five or six gunshots and ran back into the residence. Inside, the girlfriend found Pringle unresponsive on the kitchen floor. She told police she believed Grant left through his bedroom after the shooting. The affidavit excerpts reported by news organizations do not explain where Grant went immediately afterward, how officers located him or whether he contacted authorities before his arrest the next day.

During an interview with detectives, Grant said he feared for his life because he believed the object Pringle carried was a real gun. He described a heated exchange in which Pringle held the weapon before putting it into his waistband. Even after the object had been put away, Grant reportedly said he remained afraid because Pringle was still armed. He told investigators that he reached a point at which he believed the confrontation had become a choice between his own life and Pringle’s. That statement formed the core of his reported self-defense claim.

Other parts of Grant’s interview may complicate that defense. According to police, Grant acknowledged that Pringle never pointed the BB gun at him. The available account also does not describe Pringle firing it, attempting to draw it from his waistband or making a direct threat immediately before Grant opened fire. Those omissions do not by themselves decide whether Grant acted lawfully, and the defense could present additional evidence or a different interpretation. They do, however, help explain why investigators treated the death as a homicide and sought a murder charge rather than accepting Grant’s account at face value.

Grant also framed the encounter as the breaking point in a broader conflict over the household. He reportedly told police that the home had been peaceful before Pringle moved in and accused Pringle of trying to control or “dominate” the residence. A witness separately said problems between the two men had been “boiling up.” Authorities have not publicly detailed how long they lived together, when the friction began or whether police had previously been called to the address. No independently verified record of earlier violence between Grant and Pringle was included in the reports reviewed for this article.

Near the end of the police interview, Grant asked an officer whether he had “over-killed” Pringle, according to the affidavit. The remark is likely to receive close attention because prosecutors may argue that it reflects Grant’s awareness of the amount of force used. Defense attorneys could dispute that interpretation or contend the words were spoken in shock, confusion or hindsight. The surrounding conversation has not been publicly released, making it difficult to evaluate the tone, timing and full context of the statement from the quoted line alone.

The charge of second-degree murder alleges an unlawful killing carried out through an act showing a profoundly dangerous disregard for human life, but it does not require prosecutors to prove that Grant planned the death in advance. Prosecutors must still establish every element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. Grant can challenge the witnesses, the interpretation of the video, the handling of physical evidence and the state’s account of what he perceived. Publicly available reports did not identify his attorney or describe any formal plea entered in the case.

The age attributed to Grant differs in published accounts. Law&Crime identified him as 32, while WSVN reported that he was 31. The discrepancy does not affect the accusation, but no age is stated here as a settled fact without a directly reviewed booking record confirming it. The sources agree that Pringle was 38 and that he died after being taken to a hospital. An online funeral-home notice announced his death but did not include a biography or information about his family, work or life outside the residence.

The case remains at an early stage. A probable-cause affidavit presents the evidence used to support an arrest, not a final determination of guilt. Additional records may clarify the sequence of shots, the location of each person, the ownership of the weapons and what occurred before the recorded confrontation. As of Aug. 2, Grant remained listed as being held in Miami-Dade custody, and no verified date for his next court proceeding was available in the reports reviewed.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 2, 2026.