POLK COUNTY, Fla. – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of a man who they said fatally shot a man Tuesday night before jumping into a getaway car.
Polk deputies were called around 9:40 p.m. to report gunfire in the area of the Home Suites near Interstate 4’s interchange with U.S. 27 near Davenport, a release states.
In a news conference on Friday, Sheriff Grady Judd said Elijah Johnson was shot twice on the second floor of the hotel. He ran down the stairs and collapsed outside in the parking lot. Emergency medical services transported him to a trauma center, where he later died from his injuries.
“We found out that our victim had 26 previous criminal charges. He had a violent history,” said Judd. “But I want to underscore that there is absolutely, unequivocally no reason for him to be shot.”
Deputies responded to a disturbance call at the hotel around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday involving Johnson. They spoke with Johnson, his mother, and another individual, who reported a prior altercation with Johnson but did not wish to press charges. Deputies left after about an hour.
Less than an hour later, police received a call about the shooting.
Witnesses told law enforcement that they saw someone running away and entering a red sedan after a gunshot was heard. One of the witnesses said the vehicle stopped a short distance away, where the suspect then allegedly got out and ran into the woods, the release states.
“Our suspect runs downstairs, and he sees a guy that he knows. He jumps in the car. The red car takes off. Angel tells our witness, ‘It was an accident. I fell down and shot the guy,” Judd said.
The sedan was soon found at a McDonald’s near U.S. 27 and Sand Mine Road, with the driver and registered owner of the vehicle — Angel Efrain-Reillo, 39 — taken into custody without incident, the sheriff’s office said.
Morales was taken into custody in the Portland Park on Thursday, Judd said. He faces charges of second-degree murder and possession of a trafficking amount of fentanyl, which carries a minimum 20-year sentence.
According to Judd, the murder weapon has not been recovered, and the sheriff’s office is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to its return.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Note: This map depicts the general area of this reported shooting and not necessarily an exact location.