Suspect in fatal shooting of 14-year-old boy arrested in Brevard County

Malachi Thomas faces murder charge

Malachi Thomas (Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A man who was previously named as a suspect in a drive-by shooting that killed a 14-year-old boy has been arrested in Brevard County, records show.

Malachi Thomas, 19, was taken into custody Tuesday on Babcock Street in Melbourne on charges of first-degree murder with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm and accessory after the fact to a capital felony.

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Although in October Thomas was named as a suspect in the shooting death of 14-year-old Daquarvious Fudge, authorities have not said if his recent arrest is in connection with that case or another crime.

News 6 has contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for more information.

Fudge was in the area of Cypress Street and Willie Mays Parkway around 6 p.m. on Aug. 5 when he was fatally shot in what deputies said was an act of gang violence.

The sheriff’s office released a photo the day after the shooting that showed a man with his torso sticking out of a the rear window of a silver or gold Nissan Altima while aiming a gun.

Chauncey Cleckley Jr. and Lorenzo Hall (Orange County Sheriff's Office)

Deputies said in August that they believed three or four people were in the car at the time of the shooting.

Lorenzo Hall and Chauncey Cleckley Jr. have already been taken into custody. They are both facing murder charges as well.

Authorities have not described each suspect’s alleged role in the fatal shooting.


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