Suspect in fatal Citra shooting turns himself in
CITRA — The man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting here turned himself in at a sheriff's office in Georgia, the Marion County Sheriff's Office announced late Tuesday.
The man, Kenron Lamar Vereen, is being classified as a suspect in the shooting death of his wife in the 16800 block of Northeast 41st Court.
Vereen was married to the victim, sheriff's officials said. Records show a dissolution of marriage was filed by Vereen's wife last week.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the 41-year-old man was jailed on unrelated charges, authorities said.
Criminal record
Vereen was released from prison in June 2009 after serving time for robbery. Since then, records show, he has been arrested multiple times on charges including attempted second-degree murder with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery/domestic violence. All the charges against him were dropped, according to court documents.
In the attempted murder case, prosecutors noted that numerous witnesses refused to cooperate with authorities. Prosecutors said without eyewitnesses testimony, they could not move forward with the case.
On Wednesday, sheriff's detectives were on their way to Georgia to see Vereen, while other detectives returned to the shooting scene to gather additional information and evidence.
If Vereen is charged with the woman's shooting death, it would be Marion County's second domestic violence murder for 2024. In 2023, there were seven domestic violence homicides, according to the Family Violence Prevention Workgroup.
Marion County Sheriff's officials received word of the shooting just after 4 p.m. Tuesday. When deputies arrived, they found the victim deceased. The victim was later identified as Sherese Stafford, 33.
Both the suspect and the victim lived at the shooting site, sheriff's officials said.
Witnesses told deputies that Vereen left the residence in a pickup truck. Deputies found the truck abandoned. Vereen was still missing.
At 9:45 p.m. Tuesday, deputies received a call from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office in Jesup, Georgia, advising that Vereen had walked into their station and surrendered himself.
Emotional loss
Several residents gathered near the crime scene on Tuesday, some crying inconsolably. One woman shouted "My mama is dead" several times. Crisis intervention specialists were on scene.
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The area where the shooting happened is off a narrow, hard dirt road. It's a wooded area with mobile homes and other structures.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Woman shot and killed in Citra. Suspect turns himself in
