A 20-year-old man suspected in the ambush-style shooting death of a 15-year-old girl in front of a Cocoa restaurant has been charged with first-degree murder after he was arrested in a Volusia County traffic stop.
Jonterich Smith of Cocoa was charged Monday, Oct. 13, with first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm in connection with the Oct. 6 death of Ka’Ryah Duncan. Duncan’s boyfriend and another friend were also wounded in the attack.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey called Smith “an animal, a monster that killed a 15-year-old girl,” before investigators personally walked Smith, in shackles and leg irons, into the county jail.
“We’ve got him in custody thanks to our partners up in Volusia County that stopped him in a traffic stop and we had a warrant for him,” Ivey said in a livestreamed statement.
The deadly shooting happened in Cocoa, off Clearlake Road at Rosetine Street, at about 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6. Duncan and two men in the vehicle had pulled up in front of Anchors Seafood & Chicken restaurant when a dark-colored SUV pulled in behind them.
Multiple suspects exited the SUV with unknown caliber weapons and began shooting toward the victims, who were attempting to exit the vehicle, the sheriff’s office reported. Duncan and the two men with her who were wounded in the attack were taken to the hospital, where Duncan later died. At least 30 shell casings were recovered from the site.
“It’s horrific. Our community doesn’t tolerate that and I’m just glad this one’s behind bars,” Ivey said.
Investigators continue to search for another suspect in the attack, Xazavier Butler, Ivey said. The agency has issued a warrant for Butler’s arrest on a first-degree murder charge and two counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
“We’re attempting to locate him,” Ivey said.
“Turn yourself in.”
The fatal shooting was the 16th reported homicide reported in Brevard County since January.
J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cocoa man, 20, charged with first-degree murder in shooting death of Brevard girl, 15
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
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