Arrest warrants issued in Jacksonville Beach deadly shooting

Officers say they're looking for Shaquille Walker, Jose Emanuel Lebron

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – Arrest warrants were issued for two men in the June 24 shooting death of a man in Jacksonville Beach, police announced Tuesday evening.

Shaquille Walker and Jose Emanuel Lebron are wanted on charges of tampering with evidence, according to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department.

Walker also faces a charge of carrying a concealed firearm, police said.

About 2:30 a.m. June 24, police said, Leon Bennett was shot to death near the intersection of Seventh Avenue and First Street as the 23-year-old father of two left a bar.

Since the deadly shooting, investigators have released several surveillance videos. 

The first video released shows a fight outside on First Street involving Bennett and several men, police said.

Days later, police released two new videos. Investigators asked for help identifying the three men in the first video, who are seen walking past a roped-off area to a doorman. Police asked for help identifying the four men in the second video, who also approached the doorman.

It's unclear whether the surveillance videos led to the arrest warrants being issued. 

Rhonda Kelly, Bennett's mother, told News4Jax that she was relieved to hear that two men had been named in connection with her son's shooting death. 

"It doesn't bring him back, but it gives us a sense of 'We're going to find justice really soon,'" she said. 

Kelly said she's anticipating the day the two men are arrested and she can face them in court.

"I just want them to know that you took a father. You took a son. You took somebody that was so kind and so generous," she said. "He was such a good person in this world and he still had so much to do."

When News4Jax went to Walker's apartment Tuesday evening for comment, a Jacksonville sheriff's officer was there. The officer said the people inside the apartment did not know Walker's current location.

We've learned Walker has previous record only for traffic violations. Lebron has even more traffic violations and one arrest for possession of marijuana.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Walker and Lebron is asked to call the Police Department at 904-270-1661.


About the Authors:

Corley Peel is a Texas native and Texas Tech graduate who covered big stories in Joplin, Missouri, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Jacksonville, Florida before returning to the Lone Star State. When not reporting, Corley enjoys hot yoga, Tech Football, and finding the best tacos in town.