A 19-year-old man and a male juvenile have been arrested following the shooting death of another man in Ocala last week.
Marion County Sheriff’s Major Crimes detectives were notified Friday of the shooting, which took place in the area of Saddlewood Elementary School, located at 3700 SW 43rd Court. The victim, 18-year-old Brandon Hammett, was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center with a gunshot wound and ultimately succumbed to his injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, a sheriff’s office report states.
A Major Crimes detective spoke with a witness to the shooting who said that 19-year-old Dalton W. Purvis, of Ocala, and another person had left a message for Hammett allegedly asking to purchase “a significant amount of marijuana” and telling him where to meet them. The witness said they drove to the area near the school and she saw Purvis and others “standing off the shoulder of the roadway.”
The woman said they pulled up to the group and an unknown black male – who still apparently is being sought – asked Hammett “where the weed was.” The woman said Hammett showed him a small bag of marijuana and the black male asked if that was all he had. The woman said the man then pulled a gun from his pants and started shooting, the report says.
The woman said that Hammett immediately placed his vehicle in reverse and backed away from the man, turned around and drove to the front of the school. Hammett then stated that “he was not feeling well” and said he “may have been shot.” He suggested the woman drive, stopped the vehicle and lost consciousness, the report says.
The detective spoke with Purvis and another person who both admitted they were meeting Hammett to purchase marijuana. But both denied knowledge of a planned robbery. Both also said another person, whom they had not met prior to that night, was the one who brought the firearm and shot Hammett. And both stated that a person known only as “Carlos” was the one who contacted the man they claimed shot Hammett, the report states.
Carlos was later identified as 16-year-old Carlos Flores-Renteria. The detective then spoke with him after getting his mother’s permission to do so, the report says.
Both Purvis and Flores-Renteria subsequently were arrested and charged with felony murder. Purvis is being held with no bond and is scheduled to appear in a Marion County courtroom on Nov. 27 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charge. Information about where Flores-Renteria was booked and the amount of his bond, if any, wasn’t available.