TPD: Three men arrested after firing into crowd, killing mother of eight
The Tallahassee Police Department has arrested three men in connection with a double shooting that left a mother of eight dead in northwest Tallahassee.
TPD investigators say the trio, "armed with firearms," arrived at the Griffin Heights Apartments Apartments at about 3:30 a.m. June 17 and fired into a crowd of people and shot two women who were not the "intended target."
"The arrestees were targeting an individual who they were in a dispute with over illegal drugs," a TPD spokesperson wrote in an incident alert. "One woman died as a result of her injuries, and a second woman was also injured, and thankfully she is expected to survive."
Investigators with TPD's Violent Crimes Unit, "collected physical evidence and witness statements, allowing detectives to identify the shooters and the driver.
"After consultation with the State Attorney's Office, detectives obtained warrants for first-degree murder for all of the individuals," a TPD spokesperson wrote.
On Saturday morning, TPD announced the arrests of 23-year-old Reginald Mims III, 31-year-old Jimail Cooper and 33-year-old Antwan Muhammad. All three face charges of first-degree felony murder, kidnapping, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Further details and the arrest reports were not immediately available so the reasoning behind the kidnapping charge is not clear.
"These swift arrests are a testament to the agency's commitment to working tirelessly to apprehend violent offenders and bring justice to the victims and their loved ones," TPD wrote.
The deceased was identified by family and friends as Ashley Emanuel.
"Her family came first," Emanuel's cousin Mary Lou Robins told the Democrat hours after the shooting. "She's got a three year old son. Her oldest is 18. He lost his leg in a tragic accident about two years ago. He needs his mom."
So far this year, 15 have died and at least 28 have been injured in 36 serious shootings in the capital city and county, according to a Tallahassee Democrat analysis of gun violence.
Monday's shooting incident is the second fatal shooting at the Griffin Heights Apartments this year. In January, police responded to a double homicide that killed a 19-year-old and a 16-year-old, according to previous reporting. About a week later, a man was shot in the leg at the apartment complex.
Email editor William Hatfield at whatfield@tallahassee.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee Police: Three men arrested in Griffin Heights shooting
