October fatal shooting outside Riviera Beach apartment ends in murder charge
RIVIERA BEACH — A 37-year-old man is facing charges in an October shooting death at a Riviera Beach apartment complex.
A grand jury this month indicted Joetavius Jackson of Riviera Beach on charges of first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm after authorities arrested him last month in Suwanee County, about 70 miles north of Gainesville.
Investigators allege he shot and killed Brian Vanhook on the afternoon of Oct. 17 at the Azure Estates apartments on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
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Jackson was transferred to the Palm Beach County Jail on Friday and made his first court appearance Sunday after refusing to appear the day before.
Circuit Court Judge Howard Coates assigned Jackson a public defender and ordered that he be held without bail on the murder charge.
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According to the police report, police responded to Azure Estates shortly before 1:30 p.m. Oct. 17 and found Vanhook unresponsive on the ground near an apartment building. Paramedics pronounced him dead.
Surveillance-camera video recorded about 30 minutes earlier showed Jackson, Vanhook and other men outside a building having a conversation. The video showed Jackson walk away from the group, pull something from his pocket and turn and charge toward Vanhook, the report said.
Jackson reportedly extended his arm and began firing what appeared to be semiautomatic handgun.
A witness speaking to investigators identified Jackson as the shooter. The arrest report did not specify a motive for the shooting. However, a Suwanee County Sheriff's Office statement announcing Jackson's Nov. 22 arrest said he was wanted in Palm Beach County for shooting and killing someone in an altercation over a cellphone.
Authorities said Jackson has ties to the city of Live Oak in Suwanee County and was released from state prison in May after serving 10 years for the sale of cocaine in that county.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Authorities arrest North Florida man in October Riviera Beach homicide
