Murder charge for West Palm Beach man after shopping-center fatal shooting in Lake Park

LAKE PARK — A 24-year-old West Palm Beach man is facing a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm after his arrest in connection with a May 17 fatal shooting in the parking lot of a busy Lake Park shopping plaza.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrested Michael Laurice Harris on Friday. Judge Edward Garrison ordered Harris to be held without bail at the Palm Beach County Jail during a hearing Saturday morning.

The Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office is representing Harris. As a policy, it does not comment on open cases. Harris told investigators the man he shot had threatened him

PBSO's arrest report does not identify the person who was killed in the shooting.

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Witnesses: Man who died in Lake Park drove up in Dodge Challenger

Deputies were called about 7:15 p.m. to a reported shooting in the parking lot of The Plaza at Lake Park in the 1200 block of Northlake Boulevard, a shopping center with a Pet Supplies Plus, Dollar Tree, GameStop, Burlington, Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A. Businesses in the plaza were open at the time.

Deputies found a man who had been shot in his right side lying in the road in front of the Burlington store. Paramedics took him to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he was pronounced dead just before 8 p.m., the arrest report says.

Detectives spoke with two witnesses who were in their car when they saw a purple Dodge Challenger drive through the lot about two aisles over. Both said they saw the Challenger stop in the middle of that aisle, then watched as a man got out and walked over to a man and woman who were standing near a gray car, the report says.

The witnesses told detectives they watched as the man who got out of the Challenger punched the woman. Then, the other man pulled out a gun and shot the man who had been in the Challenger, the witnesses said.

The woman got into the Challenger, moved it about 10 to 15 feet, then got into the gray car with the shooter, leaving the parking lot and the wounded man, the report said.

Surveillance-camera footage from the Burlington store captured the entire incident, the report said. Detectives who reviewed the footage found that it matched the witnesses’ description, with a man in a Dodge Challenger approaching a man and woman next to a gray Toyota Corolla, arguing with them, slapping the woman, then turning to walk back to his car before the man near the Corolla shot him.

Detectives identified Harris as the possible shooter, and he was brought in for questioning and to give a statement, the report said.

Accused West Palm Beach shooter told PBSO he was threatened before firing gun

Harris told investigators he was in the Burlington parking lot with a woman, who is not identified in the report, and driving a gray Toyota Corolla. They got out of the car as the other man pulled up behind their car in his Dodge Challenger and started arguing with the woman, asking for her to give back a key to his car, the report said.

The man then turned and walked back to his car, but turned around and continued arguing with Harris and the woman, Harris told detectives. The woman put herself between Harris and the man, which is when the man punched her and tried to punch Harris, Harris said.

That is when, Harris said, he pulled out his gun and shot the man, then drove away after the woman moved the Challenger.

While speaking with detectives, Harris insisted the man had charged at him and threatened him, the report said. Detectives did not find any weapons on the man, and Harris did not mention weapons.

They said they also talked to the woman, who shared a similar story as Harris, according to the arrest report.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Shooting near West Palm Burlington leads to man's arrest on murder