Tallahassee police say they’ve made an arrest in connection to the Sept. 29 shooting at an Apalachee Parkway shopping plaza that left one man dead.
John Coates, 34, has been charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, police said.
The department’s Violent Crimes Unit found that the victim was in a verbal altercation with a crowd of individuals. Coates approached the victim and shot him. He died of his injuries.
“The subsequent investigation collected physical evidence and witness statements, allowing detectives to identify the shooter,” TPD said in a statement.
The shooting was the second time this year that fatal gunfire broke out at the shopping center, located not far from the Florida Capitol.
On May 12, two days after the tornado outbreak in Tallahassee, several people were shot, including two who died.
Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.