The Panama City Beach Police Department has arrested three teenagers in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred Tuesday night.
According to a news release, authorities working in the area of the Waffle House located at 10327 Front Beach Road, heard gunfire coming from the parking lot shortly after 10 p.m.
Authorities responded quickly and found 19-year-old J’DLH suffering from a gunshot wound. H was taken to Ascension Sacred Heart, where he later died from the injuries.
“It was determined that shortly before the gunshots were fired, well let me specify, the gunshot. One single shot. There was a physical and verbal altercation in the parking lot involving four individuals, one of them being the deceased. The argument escalated into a physical confrontation. The physical confrontation then escalated into that one gunshot being fired by Mr. J’ZM. The shots struck [H]. He had run away from the scene and shortly fell not too far from where he was shot,” Panama City Beach Police Chief J.R. T said.
The course of the investigation revealed that a physical altercation happened in the Waffle House parking lot over the purchase of an illegal firearm.
After the shooting, 18-year-old K M attempted to dispose of the weapon by hiding it in bushes nearby before he fled the scene with M in a red Chevrolet Camaro.
The authorities said that as the suspects were fleeing, M disposed of another firearm by throwing it from the vehicle into the shoulder of the road.
Soon after, authorities located and stopped the vehicle, taking Mi and Mc into custody.
M is being charged with Second Degree Murder, Attempted Murder, Tampering with Evidence and Grand Theft of a Firearm.
M is being charged with Accessory After the Fact to Second-Degree Murder, Accessory After the Fact to Attempted Murder and Tampering with Evidence.
The third suspect, 16-year-old J Z, is accused of violating his probation, as well as some other unspecified charges. He’s in the custody of juvenile authorities.
M and M have been transported to the Bay County Jail to await their first appearance.
“The family members of the victim that we have spoken to are local to the area. They are obviously devastated by this. And we completely understand that. And we are committed to ensuring that we find justice for their son. And our loved one. We’re going to turn over every stone to find every single answer that we need to be able to provide them a clear picture of exactly what happened,” T said.
T says the preliminary investigation shows H was involved in the fight leading up to the shooting.
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Source: mypanhandle
