3 separate shootings occur in Winter Haven
on Saturday, Marsha James, 52, was sitting outside her house at 498 Sears Ave. in Winter Haven with family and friends celebrating the days events after the Martin Luther King Jr. parade. and ended at noon.
As James at in her front yard, a group of 6 to 10 black men were seen by witnesses walking southbound on 54th St. Witnesses say a black man wearing a white T shirt began shooting a silver revolver in a southbound direction toward 5th and Sears Avenue.
A vehicle that may be a green Chevy Malibu was headed west on Sears Avenue and slowed down at 5th and Sears. As it slowed, an occupant inside opened fire in the northbound direction at the group of men walking in the roadway. Witnesses said the group of walkers took cover running behind vehicles, and returned fire at the vehicle.
After the group of men who were walking fled the area and the vehicle sped off, James emerged from her yard with a gunshot wound to the upper body area, and collapsed in the roadway. and Ave. T NE due to large crowds in the parking area at Three Brothers Family Food Store. Officers heard multiple gunshots fired, and people began running from the area.
Officers began to detain people to investigate the gunshots and found out that a citizen who was parked in the parking lot was agitated about his car being blocked in and fired shots. Rounds were located in the ground. The person who fired the shots was not present when officers arrived.
As officers were investigating the parking lot incident, additional shots were heard in the area. A woman approached from across the street and said she had been shot. The woman had been sitting in her front yard in the neighborhood and had a gunshot wound to her upper body and was taken by ambulance to Lakeland Regional Medical Center and was scheduled to be treated and released for a gunshot wound to the chest.
About 30 minutes later, officers began investigating both shootings, a vehicle was seen driving in reverse at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was stopped, and as officers spoke to the two occupants of the vehicle, one of the officers saw a gun on the passenger seat floorboard.
Officers immediately told the driver and passenger to exit the vehicle. The driver leaned toward the floorboard, and the officer asked Wholesale NFL Jerseys him to show his hands.
The driver continued to reach Wholesale NFL Jerseys between his feet, and at that time, the officer, fearing for his safety, fired a round, hitting the suspect in the stomach.
Then, the passenger fled from the passenger side of the vehicle, but was quickly caught. He has been booked into the Polk County Jail for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia. A black BB handgun was found on the passenger floorboard of the vehicle. Coffer was arrested on Jan. 13 for petit theft and released on Jan. 14 by the Winter Haven Police Department.
The driver of the car has been identified as Udo Sinclair McJolly, 33, of 2867 Barton Place in Bartow. He has been arrested by Winter Haven and Gainesville police, and has served state prison time, records show.
McJolly, a convicted felon, is not allowed to possess a firearm. The 20 round magazine had 18 rounds in it. Another 9mm magazine with 14 rounds was found in a bag in the back seat of the car, with a ski mask a gloves.
McJolly had surgery last night for a bullet wound to the stomach, and remains in stable condition. He will be charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possibly faces other charges. Gaskin, who was uninjured, has been with WHPD for nine years. The investigation will be conducted by the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
Winter Haven police are investigating the shots fired at the food store and Cheap Jerseys the woman who was shot. PCSO will investigate the officer involved shooting.