GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Less than 24 hours after the drive-by murder of 29-year-old Rashay Garrison, investigators have identified, located and arrested the suspected killer, the Gainesville Police Department announced Tuesday morning.
Ishmael Daniels, a 28-year-old Gainesville resident, is currently in the Alachua County Jail facing one count of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
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Multiple 911 calls just before 4 a.m. Monday reported a shooting in the area of 1143 NE 25th Street and a car speeding away from the scene, police said.
When GPD officers arrived, they found Garrison dead in the driver's seat of a gray Dodge Charger parked in front of the address. Multiple bullet holes from an unknown caliber weapon were found in both the front and rear doors of the car, police said. Garrison had been shot multiple times.
A passenger in the Charger at the time of the shooting was struck by a small piece of shrapnel during the incident, but did not suffer any serious injury. The passenger was released from the hospital the same day.
Police identified Daniels as the shooter, and then tracked him, found him and arrested him during a traffic stop around 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The investigation revealed that Garrison and the passenger were parked outside the home when another car drove up beside them, Daniels opened fire into Garrison’s car, then fled the area, police said.
A witness in the car with Daniels the night of the murder told detectives that Daniels was offended by a rap video recently posted to the Internet by Garrison, police said. The investigation revealed that Daniels was driving a rental car and was following Garrison’s car until it parked.
Daniels then drove next to Garrison’s car, told the passenger to move back, produced a rifle of some sort and began firing into Garrison’s car, police said.
Daniels then fled the area, eventually cleaning out his rental car with bleach in an attempt to remove any evidence, police said.
GPD investigators found the rental car, a burgundy Nissan Altima, which was returned in Orlando.
The gun used in the murder has not yet been identified or located, police said.
Daniels is a convicted felon and should have never had access to a weapon, GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias said.
Tobias praised the work of the officers and detectives who worked around the clock to solve the case.
“Many folks have told us that Garrison’s lifestyle unfortunately caught up with him,” Tobias said. “Regardless of anyone’s choices while alive, we owe it to their family and the community to diligently investigate homicide cases. I’m proud of our officers and detectives that refused to rest until Garrison’s killer was behind bars.”
The witness who was in the car with Daniels has been cooperative with police. He has not been charged with any crime at this point.