BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that left one person dead near Boynton Beach in August.
Robert Gipson, 47, was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail on Tuesday and faces a charge of first-degree murder, two charges of aggravated battery and a charge of firearm possession by a convicted felon.
According to the arrest report, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO) responded to 5070 Ashley Lake Drive in response to a disturbance at around 11:45 p.m. Aug. 10. Dispatchers received a call from a man, later identified as Gipson, saying he was involved in an argument with several people and shot them out of fear of being attacked.
When police arrived, they found a victim, identified as Berken Obas, unresponsive in front of the apartment building. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two additional victims were found suffering from gunshot wounds and were transported to Delray Beach Medical Center. They told detectives in an interview that they were with Obas outside taking photos when Gipson confronted them for being too loud. Obas told Gipson that they were leaving, which led to a verbal exchange, and that's when gunshots were heard.
A witness told PBSO she and her son noticed a verbal altercation between Obas and Gipson before observing "flashes" from a firearm.
Gipson's girlfriend told detectives that she woke up to the sound of gunshots Gipson ran back into the apartment and said, "I was about to get jumped, I shot the guy."
911 calls record Gipson telling dispatchers, "I was about to get jumped, dude was trying to jump me, I shot one, I killed him."
Gipson was arrested after it was determined there was no physical fight or indication of one, contrary to Gipson's claims, and witnesses said Gipson was not provoked to shoot at the victims. He made a first appearance in court on Wednesday and is being held without bond.
