ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A 24-year-old was shot and killed in Bithlo on Sunday morning and a suspect has been arrested, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested Justin Mullins, 38, on Sunday after they responded to the 18300 block of 12th Ave. around 4:55 a.m. in response to a shooting.
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According to a news release, when deputies arrived they found Nathan Johnson had been shot. Johnson was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead, deputies said.
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Johnson’s fiancée told deputies there was a fight in the front yard of a residence between the victim and her father — Mullins — while both were intoxicated, according to investigators.
Deputies said the woman told them Mullins is the one who shot Johnson.
According to the affidavit, when detectives interviewed Mullins, he claimed a drive-by shooting occurred and Johnson was struck.
Deputies interviewed the woman who witnessed the shooting a second time. She said the fight started because Mullins thought the victim pulled his wife’s hair.
According to the affidavit, the woman said there was no drive-by shooting.
The woman also told deputies that her father purchased a handgun “off the street” on Saturday.
A gun was found next to the victim’s body and the woman said she was sure it was the same gun that her father showed her the day before.
Mullins faces a charge of first-degree murder with a firearm.
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