MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Deputies are investigating after a man was found dead in a car following a shooting in Marion County over the weekend, according to the sheriff’s office.
In a release, deputies said they were called to a possible car crash behind the Marion Oaks Community Center in Ocala on Saturday afternoon.
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Upon arrival, they found the man — identified as Griffin Chase Smith, 19 — inside a white 2020 Dodge Ram pickup truck, having been shot beforehand, the release shows. Smith was taken to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
Detectives said that during an investigation, they discovered that Smith had been shot near a Dollar General at 198 Marion Oaks Blvd.
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From there, Smith drove away in his truck, eventually stopping around a mile away in the wood line behind the community center, detectives added.
Now, detectives are asking for information from anyone who might have witnessed the shooting at the Dollar General, including customers or employees of the businesses in the surrounding area.
Anyone with information is urged to call detectives at (352) 368-3508 or the sheriff’s office’s non-emergency number at (352) 732-9111.
Alternatively, tips can be made anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Marion County at (352) 368-7867. If so, be sure to reference 23-65 in the tip.
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