2 arrested, third suspect sought after 5-year-old girl, mother shot in Ocala
2 arrested, third suspect sought after child, mom shot in Ocala
Two men have been arrested after a mom and her 5-year-old child were shot while they were driving home in Ocala. Police said Thursday that the department arrested 28-year-old Kentrai Patterson and 26-year-old Kedonte Davis in connection with the shooting.
OCALA, Fla. - Two men have been arrested after a mom and her 5-year-old child were shot while they were driving home in Ocala.
Police said Thursday that the department arrested 28-year-old Kentrai Patterson and 26-year-old Kedonte Davis in connection with the shooting.
Family devastated by shootings
The backstory:
The shooting happened Sept. 14 around 10 p.m.
According to police, the victims went to Sutton Place Apartments after learning a relative had been assaulted. Officers were already at the complex investigating the fight when the family arrived.
After leaving the scene, the victims told investigators someone opened fire on their vehicle. They said they did not know who targeted them because they had not been involved in the earlier altercation.
The mother was shot in the hand and the child had serious injuries to their torso. Both were taken to a hospital for treatment and are expected to survive.
Investigators said surveillance video showed that after the family left a nearby apartment complex, they were followed by a Chevrolet Impala registered to Davis.
Multiple shell casings were recovered at the scene, according to police. Neighborhood cameras revealed that more than 30 gunshots were fired during the shooting, police said.
A cousin of the injured mother told FOX 35 News the family is devastated and struggling to understand why they were attacked.
Investigation leads to two arrests
Police said detectives interviewed witnesses, reviewed surveillance video from both the apartment complex and the shooting scene, and used Flock license plate reader cameras to track the suspects' vehicle. According to investigators, the suspected vehicle was found on Sept. 16.
Kentrai Patterson, 28, was arrested on three counts of attempted murder and Kedonte Davis, 28, arrested on a charge of accessory to attempted murder.
According to police, Davis was driving the vehicle while Patterson instructed him to follow the victims' car before Patterson allegedly opened fire. Police said Davis then drove away from the scene.
Kentrai Patterson, 28, and Kendonte Davis, 28, were arrested in connection with a shooting in Ocala where a mom and her 5-year-old child were hurt. (Credit: Ocala Police Department)
Davis was detained at a business on SW 10th Street. Investigators said Davis admitted to being present during the shooting. Patterson was arrested in Citra after surveillance video placed him in the suspect's vehicle.
Search continues for third suspect
What's next:
Detectives said a third person was riding in the back seat of the suspects' vehicle during the shooting. That person has not been identified, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The Source: This story was written with information released by the Ocala Police Department and from previous FOX 35 reporting.