Another arrest made in brazen, daylight drive-by shooting on May 31 in Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach police said this week that they have arrested a third person and named a fourth suspect in a brazen, daylight drive-by shooting that killed a Palm Coast man stopped in traffic on May 31.
Jerome Henderson, 20, last known address Jacksonville, was arrested in Jonesboro, Georgia. He was extradited to Volusia County Monday, according to Volusia County Branch Jail records.
Henderson was charged with first-degree murder with a firearm, first-degree murder, two counts of violation of probation, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He remained jailed without bail on Thursday.
Court records show that Henderson and two other suspects, Devonte Smokes, 29, and Cory Crooms, 37, who are also in jail, have been indicted on first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Taj Butler.
In investigative documents, Daytona Beach police detectives said a fourth suspect, Terrence Bell, 32, was also involved in Butler's shooting.
Butler, 24, of Palm Coast, was shot and killed while stopped in traffic on South Nova Road and Bellevue Avenue on May 31 at 1:48 p.m., according to Daytona Beach police.
Police have not said what the motive behind Butler's fatal shooting was but they have released more details on how the alleged hit went down in reports.
Drive-by shooting suspect arrested Police: Another suspect arrested in deadly May 31 drive-by shooting
Movement of alleged killers traced
Using video surveillance, Daytona Beach police detectives pieced together the movement of the victim and the accused killers just before they allegedly shot Butler.
On May 31, around 1:40 p.m. Smokes left his Lake Forest Apartment on Jimmy Ann Drive, followed by a red Jeep Wrangler. Smokes drove to the intersection of Nova Road and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard, still followed by the Jeep, investigators said.
Butler, the victim, was stopped at the light at Nova Road and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd. Butler made a left turn and headed south on Nova Road. The black KIA Optima carrying Smokes ran the red light trying to catch up to Butler, reports show.
Smokes followed Butler until they stopped at the light at Bellevue and pulled up to the driver's side of Butler's car. Two guns appeared from the KIA's windows and multiple shots were fired at Butler, police said.
Butler was hit multiple times, including in the neck, and was taken to Halifax Health Medical Center where he died, police said.
The KIA Optima then fled the scene.
Hiding the get-away car
Daytona Beach police learned that after the shooting, Crooms called a cousin asking to hide the KIA Optima behind a Ranney Street home, investigators said. Crooms asked the homeowner to delete footage from the ring cameras at the home. Police obtained a search warrant to retrieve the ring camera video, reports state.
In the video, police saw three men getting out of the KIA after it parked behind the Ranney Street house. One of them was Smokes, and a witness identified Bell in the video, police said.
Crooms was seen standing next to the red Jeep Wrangler in front of the home waiting for the suspects, police said.
Investigators said Crooms rented the Jeep in Orlando for several days but returned the vehicle a few hours after Butler was shot. Crooms claimed the Jeep was unsafe to drive, according to reports.
On Aug. 9, Crooms was arrested for trafficking fentanyl. He is also a suspect in another shooting on Aug. 9. Daytona Beach police did not respond Wednesday to requests for information on the Aug. 9 shooting that involved a police chase, and the the discovery of 24 ounces of fentanyl in Crooms' vehicle.
A pistol that fires high-velocity 5.7 caliber rounds was also found in Crooms' rented Ford Explorer on Aug. 9, reports show.
Masks and guns
A few days after the May 31 shooting, Daytona Beach police detectives got a lead in the homicide when a person called them with information on the murder, reports state.
Police then learned through their investigation that Crooms rented the Jeep Wrangler from Comfort Above rental in Orlando. When he checked out the Jeep, Crooms was accompanied by Bell and Henderson, police said.
In surveillance video, the Jeep is seen pulling into the Andros Isles apartment complex on May 31.
Two hours before Butler was fatally shot, the witness told police that at the apartment, where Smokes was present, Crooms instructed Henderson to put on a mask and grab a gun, and passed out masks to Smokes and Bell, investigative reports note.
The witness identified Henderson as the person still wearing a mask when the KIA Optima was hidden behind the Ranney Street house, reports state.
The witness told police that Henderson said he and Smokes shot Butler, detectives said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona police make another arrest in fatal drive-by shooting
