BUNNELL, Fla. – A 19-year-old Bunnell man arrested Wednesday is the third person accused of firing a gun during a shootout last month in a local neighborhood that left a bystander with life-threatening injuries.
Ah’Nyis De Angelo Johnson, 19, faces charges of discharging a firearm in public and possession of a weapon by a delinquent adult in connection to a March 16 shooting March 16 that left a 19-year-old man with life-threatening injuries, police said. Johnson is being held at the Flagler County jail on $35,500 bond, $500 of which stems from a third charge of possession of marijuana at or below 20 grams, records show.
Johnson was taken into custody without incident by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Problem Area Crime Enforcement Unit and agents with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force before noon Wednesday after being seen leaving his mother’s home along South Anderson Street, about two blocks from where the shooting occurred near the intersection of East Drain Street and South Anderson Street.
The victim in the shooting, described as a bystander, remains hospitalized at the time of this report, police said.
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The shooting occurred in a neighborhood that detectives said was known as “South Bunnell,” where the city had since upgraded a network of pole cameras as part of a $300,000 investment following two drive-by shootings in 2022 out of the same area. This equipment, as well as other cameras owned by the Flagler County Housing Authority, captured the events of the shooting and even helped investigators track down a Mercedes-Benz that left the scene, proving to be significant investigative tools, police said.
“Technology has changed a lot in how law enforcement solves crimes,” Chief David Brannon told News 6, “Rather than just relying on let’s say the gunshot victims account of what he saw where he wasn’t really able to tell us a whole lot because he was in a helicopter on the way to a trauma center and we’re trying to figure out where the shooter is and what’s going on.”
Brannon said in this case, officers were able to immediately review the footage to identify the shooters.
“One of the challenges we experience is that this community is often reluctant to cooperate with law enforcement,” he said.
The cameras have officially been rolling for a year now and Brannon said in that time they have found these suspects, exonerated one of their officers after a complaint, and cleared up a person accused of domestic violence.
“We’re not using these cameras to watch people continuously. They’re here for after the fact,” he said.
The chief plans to expand the system by adding two or three more next year but he said the ultimate goal is to not have to use them at all.
“We really want to build relationships with the community so eventually we don’t need this technology to help us solve crime,” he said.
On video, three shooters could be seen firing at different moments, according to police.
What began as a small gathering of men at the intersection soon turned into a fistfight between two men, police said. The purported loser in the fight — who detectives identified as Antarius Henderson, 23 — walked over to the Mercedes-Benz, turned around and began firing a handgun, the release states. The victim and other bystanders then started to run away, police said.
The victim was about 20 feet away across the intersection when he was shot twice — once in the left side of his chest and once above his right hip — as he went on to run toward a home in the 500 block of East Drain Street, ring the doorbell and plead for help, according to the release. The occupants of the home helped the victim and called 911, police said.
The victim suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a hospital, police said. Since then and after several surgeries, one of his kidneys has reportedly had to be removed.
Johnson has since been identified as the person who Henderson had been fighting, police said Wednesday.
A 17-year-old boy who was initially a bystander in the fight put about 100 feet between himself and Henderson once the shooting started before pulling his own handgun firing back at Henderson, police said. The second shooter would soon hand his gun to Johnson, who ran toward Henderson, fired several shots and ran away, according to the latest news release.
Henderson was the first to be arrested in connection with the shooting, taken into custody March 22 in Putnam County to face a charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The 17-year-old was the second to be arrested, taken into custody March 25 on charges of carrying a concealed firearm and discharging a firearm. News 6 is not naming or showing the 17-year-old due to his age.
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