A 25-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with a fatal shooting that claimed the life of a man in southeast Ocala in July.
On Monday, October 2, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jowarn Micquel Mitchell for the murder of 34-year-old Quentin Samuel, Jr.
On July 20, at around 5:30 p.m. MCSO deputies responded to the 6500 block of SE 41st Court in Ocala in reference to a shooting. Marion County Fire Rescue also responded to the area and located a deceased man, identified as Samuel, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
According to MCSO, deputies arrived on scene and spoke with a witness who recalled hearing three or four gunshots. The witness advised that shortly after the gunshots were fired, a maroon truck belonging to Mitchell’s father was observed leaving the area.
Deputies quickly located the truck on Highway 314A and a traffic stop was conducted. Mitchell was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, and he was detained for questioning.
During an interview with investigators, Mitchell denied being anywhere near the victim’s home. He claimed that he left his residence to “get food and get a tire repaired.” When detectives asked for the specific locations that he traveled to, Mitchell stated that he had received “crazy news” about the victim’s death, and he claimed that he drove around to “clear his head,” according to MCSO.
While speaking with investigators, Mitchell continued to claim that he did not go to the victim’s home on the day of the shooting. MCSO stated that investigative techniques were utilized by detectives to determine that Mitchell was being “untruthful about his whereabouts.”
According to the arrest report, data was retrieved from the maroon truck Mitchell was driving, which confirmed that the vehicle had traveled to the victim’s residence at 5:16 p.m. on the day of the shooting. A detective was also able to confirm that Mitchell’s cellphone had connected to the vehicle at 5:18 p.m.
The report further states that video footage collected from the area of the shooting showed a vehicle arriving at the incident location at around 5:16 p.m. The footage then captured gunshots at approximately 5:17 p.m., followed by a vehicle leaving the incident location.
Investigators ultimately determined that Mitchell was in front of the victim’s home around the time of the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.
After Mitchell was placed under arrest, he was transported to Marion County Jail where he is currently being held without bond. He is facing a felony charge for murder in the second degree.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.