WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 23-year-old felon from Riviera Beach was arrested seven hours after a shooting of a man wounded near a convenience store.
LeRoy Brown faces charges of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, shooting into an occupied vehicle, discharging a firearm on public property and felon in possession of a firearm in connection with a shooting Thursday at the Majestic gas station at the corner of Australian Avenue and 25th Street.
West Palm Beach police first received a ShotSpotter gunshot detection alert.
An officer working at St. Mary's Medical Center radioed in that a man in a white Volkswagen arrived at the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The VW had been parked at the gas station directly behind a van when a red Mercedes-Benz pulled up behind it, police spokesman Mike Jachles said in a news release. Apparently unaware of the Mercedes, the driver of the VW backed up and hit the bumper of the Mercedes-Benz.
The Mercedes-Benz driver, who was standing outside the car, pulled out a handgun, opened the VW driver's door and began firing at the driver, according to the arrest report.
The victim, who is only being identified as a 22-year-old Palm Beach Gardens man because of Marsy's Law, fired shots at the suspect's car, Jachles said.
During the exchange of gunfire, a passing car was struck but no one in that car was injured.
Detectives found the Mercedes-Benz was among 17 owned by a business owner who rents out his vehicles.
They located the suspect's car and set up surveillance at an apartment complex in the 7000 block of Banyan Leaf Drive outside of West Palm Beach.
With the assistance of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, search warrants were obtained and evidence was recovered, including a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun hidden in a ventilation duct.
He was arrested shortly before 11:30 p.m. and booked into the main Palm Beach County jail just after 1 a.m. Friday. Brown was being held without bond.
Brown was previously convicted of possession of cocaine on March 4, 2021.