A 30-year-old Ocala man is facing a felony murder charge in connection to a fatal shooting that occurred last month in southeast Ocala.
On Monday, a Marion County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Detective arrested Johnnie Bee Samuel for the shooting death of Willie Lee Jones, Jr.
At approximately 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26, MCSO deputies responded to the 3800 block of SE 95th Street in Ocala. When the deputies arrived, they found the victim, Jones, deceased in the driveway.
The deputies were informed that the victim had been shot by a person later identified as Samuel.
Samuel had left the scene in an older model Cadillac convertible, and deputies later spotted the vehicle entering I-75 southbound at Highway 484. A traffic stop was attempted, but Samuel managed to elude the deputies and a chase ensued.
The pursuit ended in Sumter County when the deputies successfully performed a P.I.T. maneuver. Samuel was placed into custody, arrested, and transported to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
MCSO detectives conducted an investigation into the shooting and interviewed eyewitnesses who positively identified Samuel as the shooter.
During a search of Samuel’s vehicle, a .38 caliber Charter Arms revolver was found. The revolver and the projectiles recovered from the victim were sent for testing to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s crime laboratory in Jacksonville.
FDLE’s forensic analysis indicated that the revolver found in Samuel’s vehicle was the same gun that was used to kill Jones.
Samuel was being held in Sumter County Jail without bond, and he was transported to Marion County Jail where he is facing a felony charge for murder.
He is currently being held without bond and a court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.