SANFORD, Fla. – Police have identified two people, including a 16-year-old boy, who died after a shooting near a playground in a Sanford apartment complex Wednesday afternoon.
The double fatal shooting occurred at the Overlook at Monroe Apartments off State Road 46 in Sanford.
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Sanford police said the victims, 16-year-old Darius Dvon Moore, of Sanford, and 22-year-old Willie Keshawn Baker III, of Orlando, were taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
“The shooting took place on the opposite side of that playground, literally feet from where children could have been playing,” said Bianca Gillett, public information officer with Sanford police. “It was after school hours. We are lucky tonight that we’re not reporting something else. That a child wasn’t injured because of somebody’s careless, careless actions.”
The shooting appears to have been drug-related, according to police.
According to authorities, a person of interest was detained a short distance from the crime scene and interviewed.
Jean Ernst Baptiste was later arrested and faces multiple charges, including possession of marijuana over 20 grams and resisting an officer without violence.
Investigators said they believe several others were involved in the incident, but they have not been located.
Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith spoke during a news briefing after the shooting.
“It’s heartbreaking when you arrive on the scene and you realize that two young people’s lives were taken senselessly,” Smith said. “We know that two parents will be burying their children at some point.”
Smith called on parents to get more involved in their children’s lives in an effort to prevent this type of violence.
“We need to have our parents actively involved with our kids to try to figure out what else we can do to get them off of our streets,” Smith said.
Investigators are asking anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or who may have surveillance video of the area to contact Sanford police at 407-688-5070.