UPDATE: Two arrested, two sought in death of Valdosta teen in Florida
Published 2:46 pm Monday, September 21, 2020
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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Two men have been arrested and two are being sought after the Friday shooting death of a former Valdosta teenager in Daytona Beach, police said. Three of the suspects are from Lowndes County, authorities said.
Rachael Gasparini, 18, of Daytona Beach but formerly of Valdosta, died Friday of gunshot wounds, according to reports from the Daytona Beach Police Department. Police characterized the incident as an attempted drug deal gone bad.
At about 5 p.m. Friday, Daytona Beach police received several 911 calls about gunshots and screaming in the Brentwood Drive area.
Officers found Gasparini in front of an apartment complex, being tended to by bystanders for multiple gunshot wounds. She died at a local hospital at 5:48 p.m., police said.
Meanwhile, police received information that suspects fled the scene in a green car with a Georgia tag after the shooting; a be on the lookout was issued and the car was located in the nearby town of Holly Hill, police reports stated. Suspects Kimba Kimble, 19, and Jaquez D. Head, 21, a Lowndes County resident, were apprehended in Holly Hill, reports state
Kimble is charged with third-degree felony murder no premeditated, while Head is charged with murder while engaged in certain felony offenses and principal to robbery with firearm, police reports said.
The two remaining suspects — Armonta M. Waters, 20, and Jordan M. Graham, 18, both of Lowndes County — are being sought by law enforcement, reports state. Graham is wanted on charges of murder while engaged in certain felony offenses and robbery with firearm/deadly weapon, while Waters is wanted on charges of murder while engaged in certain felony offenses and principal to robbery with firearm, police documents show.
Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said the BOLO on Waters and Graham reached his agency Saturday and he has undercover officers looking for them.
Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan said her department has had encounters with all four suspects, and that officers have been told to look out for them.
Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.