WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 21-year-old man faced a Palm Beach County judge on Tuesday in connection with the shooting death of a teenager last week at an apartment complex.
Damario Gregory Jones of West Palm Beach was arrested Monday after Jeanariun St. Fort,19, was gunned down at the Lake Mangonia apartments located at 2100 N. Australian Avenue last Wednesday. He faces a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm.
Circuit Court Judge Donald Hafele issued no bond in the case and ordered Jones not to have any contact with the victim's family and friends.
West Palm Beach
Man, 19, shot dead at West Palm Beach apartments
According to a probable cause affidavit from the West Palm Beach Police Department, St. Fort's killing was caught on surveillance video.
One investigator who looked at the video "positively and without hesitation" identified Jones as one of the persons who shot and killed St. Fort.
After the shooting, police said Jones was seen fleeing through and out of the building to a neighboring apartment complex along Australian Avenue.
The suspect's vehicle, a silver Ford Escape, was also caught on surveillance video. After it was located, investigators said Jones' fingerprints were located on the SUV.
After Jones was located and arrested Monday afternoon, the affidavit stated that he told police that was at the scene of the shooting but said he "froze up" and then heard gunshots.
Jones claimed he did not shoot St. Fort, a West Palm Beach resident, even though police said he was "clearly seen shooting and killing" the victim.
The arrest affidavit did not give a motive for the killing.