An Ocala man was arrested Wednesday and charged with second degree murder in connection with a drive-by-style shooting this past October that apparently was sparked by a war of words on social media.
Demetrius Antonio Wright, 19, was taken into custody after a lengthy interview where he admitted he was not truthful in his initial statements to deputies in October. He admitted that he was “in the area” of the shooting location “around the time” of the murder of 18-year-old June Hugo and “had heard gunshots” and saw cars leaving the area. But he continued to deny any involvement in the case, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office report states.
The shooting took place this past Oct. 11 in the Ocala Ridge neighborhood, near the intersection of NW 6th Place and NW 58th Avenue. Several 9mm shell casings were recovered at the location and it was revealed that two vehicles were involved, a red Nissan Versa and a red Ford Mustang, the report states, adding that several firearms were found in the Mustang and its passenger, 18-year-old Dexavion Brown, had outstanding warrants from Lake County.
The investigation revealed that Hugo had been sitting in the back seat of the Nissan when the shooting took place. He suffered wounds to the left side of his body, head, torso and left hand and was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the report says.
Witnesses revealed that there had been an ongoing social media dispute and a fight was supposed to take place at the Circle K, located at 5986 W Hwy. 40. One witness told detectives that he received a threatening phone call after the shooting telling him that “the bullets were meant for him,” the report says.
Wright originally told detectives that he had been at a WingHouse Bar & Grill earlier in the evening and then was given a ride to his residence. But detectives obtained search warrants and confirmed that he was in the immediate area of the shooting through cell phone tracking. The records also showed that he placed several phone calls to 18-year-old Nelson Ferguson, the driver of the Nissan, around the time of the murder. And Snapchat records also placed Wright in the area, the report says.
A witness who also was interviewed again on Wednesday identified Wright as the gunman and indicated that he was shooting from the sunroof of an SUV into the Nissan where Hugo was riding, the report says.
Wright was taken into custody and booked into the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with second degree murder and held on $100,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 26 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charge.