A 37-year-old man was shot and killed Sunday morning at an apartment complex off of Southwest 20th Avenue, and the suspect is still missing.
At about 6 a.m., officers responded to multiple reports of a shooting at Southern Pines Apartments, at 4125 SW 17th Place.
Samuel Hamilton was found dead in an apartment in the complex with a gunshot wound in his head. Multiple witnesses identified the shooter as Larry Whitehead Jr., 26.
According to a Gainesville Police Department news release, an investigation showed that Whitehead forced his way into the apartment, argued with Hamilton and shot him. Because a K-9 unit search of the area yielded no results, police believe Whitehead left in a car.
GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias said police think the two men knew each other.
“At least they had a mutual female friend. That may be what this was over,” Tobias said. “[Whitehead] had a mission to go after this guy. It’s a horrible case, but it’s a very simple case.”
Whitehead has not yet been located, and the weapon used has not been found, according to the release.
Contact Kelcee Griffis at kgriffis@alligator.org.
