Two face murder charges after shootout between cars near West Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH — Two West Palm Beach men are facing first-degree murder charges in connection with an exchange of gunfire between vehicles and a crash near West Palm Beach in May that left one man dead and another wounded.
Quinton Henderson, 31, also faces charges that include discharging a firearm from a vehicle and felony weapons possession following his May 26 arrest by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. Nikobra Stringer, 27, faces similar charges and has been in custody since his May 9 arrest on a separate drug charge.
Investigators say Henderson was the driver and Stringer the passenger of a BMW that struck a cement pole and an electrical box at about 12:30 a.m. May 9 at the intersection of Westgate and Congress avenues, about a mile north of Palm Beach International Airport.
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The front-seat passenger was ejected during the crash and died at the scene, according to a PBSO arrest report. Deputies found the man's body on the ground, about 10 feet from the BMW. The arrest report did not indicate whether the gunfire had struck him.
Investigators did not disclose the deceased man's name, citing a 2018 state amendment modeled on California's Marsy's Law. The law allows either crime victims or their families to request that their names be withheld from public reports.
Trail of blood led investigators to one man
According to the arrest report, the BMW and a Volkswagen SUV were involved in an exchange of gunfire in the moments before the crash. Deputies found the disabled Volkswagen in a parking lot just north of the intersection, on the 1000 block of Congress.
Both vehicles had bullet holes, and investigators found 25 shell casings from two guns near the BMW, the report said.
A blood trail led deputies to Stringer, who was found bleeding from a gunshot wound to his left arm as he was walking about 350 feet east of the BMW crash scene. Stringer denied being involved in the shooting or that he was an occupant of either SUV. He told deputies he was walking north along Congress when he heard gunfire.
However, surveillance-camera video showed Stringer exiting the BMW after the crash and running in the direction where deputies found him, the report said. Henderson reportedly was observed exiting the BMW and rummaging through the vehicle.
A witness told investigators they later heard Henderson speaking about being directly involved in the crash.
Bail denied for both men facing charges
The arrest report indicates that on the night of the incident, at least one person appears to have exited the disabled Volkswagen and fired AR-15 rounds in the direction of the BMW.
An unnamed occupant of the Volkswagen later told investigators the vehicle was traveling west on Westgate Avenue when the BMW pulled alongside the vehicle and that the rear passenger, later identified as Stringer, began shooting.
The arrest report did not indicate whether anyone from the Volkswagen will face charges.
During a hearing Saturday at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Donald Hafele ordered that Henderson be held without bail on the murder charge. Henderson was assigned an attorney from the Office of Regional Conflict Counsel after the Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office cited a conflict of interest as it is defending Henderson's co-defendant, Stringer.
Hafele also ordered that Stringer be held without bail on the murder charge.
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: PBSO arrests 2 on murder charges after West Palm shootout between cars
