Deputies have arrested two people in the shooting death of an 18-year-old man that happened in the early part of the summer.
On Tuesday, November 9, 2021, Ralph Fontil, 23, and Brandon Jordan Merizier, 17, were arrested for Second Degree Murder.
Investigators say on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at approximately 3:45 p.m., the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) received a call for service in reference to a shooting.
Deputies arrived in the area of NW 62nd Place, in Ocala Park Estates, where they located the victim, Kobe Bradshaw, 18, who had been shot. The victim was transported to the hospital where he died from the shooting injuries.
“Over the past several months, MCSO Major Crimes Detective Andrew Canterberry investigated this case and, through the use of forensic evidence, video surveillance, and cellular phone records, developed evidence to prove that Fontil and Merizier murdered Bradshaw,” said MCSO in a statement on social media.
The investigation also revealed the murder was an act of apparent retaliation against Bradshaw, who had only a few days before been cleared of wrongdoing in connection with a justifiable homicide of an associate of the suspects that occurred in the City of Ocala in December 2020.
Fontil is being held at the Marion County Jail on no bond. Merizier is currently in juvenile custody and will be transferred to the Marion County Jail upon being charged as an adult. Merizier will also be held on no bond.
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