DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Authorities in Tallahassee have arrested a man they believe is to blame for three of four shootings that took place within blocks of each other in Dania Beach, between Sunday and Wednesday, two of which were fatal.
Law enforcement officials arrested 19-year-old Arvis Yatil Brown, Friday afternoon, shortly after he bailed out of a vehicle in Tallahassee. Two other people were in the car.
U.S. Marshals, who were looking for him before he was arrested, found a gun inside the vehicle. It is unclear if the firearm was the one used in the Dania Beach shootings.
BSO officials believe Brown caused a series of retaliatory strikes in Dania Beach, which began Sunday, shortly after 8 p.m., when, they allege, Brown fatally shot 25-year-old Christopher Jordan as he walked home, near Northwest Sixth Avenue and Northwest Second Street.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue transported Jordan to Broward Health Medical Center where he died.
According to BSO, back on Nov. 8, Brown was released from Florida State Prison on unrelated charges and sought vengeance on Jordan, because he believed Jordan was behind a shooting that occurred years earlier.
The murder of Jordan then set off a chain of retaliatory shootings that occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Wednesday, 8-year-old Rasheed Cunningham Jr., who is Jordan’s cousin, was shot and killed while walking home from a children’s birthday party, along Northwest Ninth Avenue, near Second Street. Two adult relatives were also shot.
Although Cunningham may have not been the intended target, officials believe the intended target or targets were at the scene of this shooting.
Friday night, friends and family members came together at a growing memorial on the sidewalk where Cunningham was gunned down. Loved ones lit candles as his mother and other family members remembered a life lost too soon.
“He was a good kid. Loved to play football every day,” said Rodney Daughtry, Rasheed’s grandfather.
“I know one thing: He’s all right right now,” said Cedrik Harris, the boy’s godfather.
Earlier in the day, well-wishers left balloons and wrote messages on a poster board at the memorial.
Investigators believe Brown is also connected to a third shooting that took place at 389 Phippen-Waiters Road, Tuesday night.
An adult male was injured after he was grazed by a bullet. He was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
A fourth shooting in Dania Beach, which has not been confirmed to be related to these three shootings, occurred on Monday.
On Monday, a man was approached by a suspect who tried to rob him at gunpoint, near 100 N.W. 8th Ave. The two struggled and the suspect fired a shot that missed the victim. The victim was injured from a projectile that ricocheted off of the ground.
The victim was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood with injuries that were not life-threatening.
On Thursday, Broward Sheriff’s Office officials arrested 22-year-old Gregory Sims in connection to this armed robbery and shooting. Sims faces armed robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon charges.
Investigators believe there may be more suspects at large. At a news conference, Friday morning, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel urged anyone with information to come forward.
“If you know anything about any aspect of this case, please call us,” said Israel. “It’s time to stop going to funerals in Dania Beach and start worrying about children, not worrying about protecting people who committed violent felonies.”
Family members also applauded Israel’s announcement that Brown had been arrested. They said they knew Brown and begged others to turn him in.
“My grandson would’ve been alive today if she would’ve just turn him in,” said Daughtry.
Rasheed’s grandmother, Val Cunningham, was still too upset to comprehend it all. “You don’t want to know what I think now,” she said.
“A person like that deserves to suffer,” said Harris.
Loved ones have set up a GoFundMe account for Cunningham’s family. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
A second GoFundMe page has been set up in memory of Christopher Jordan in order to help his family during this difficult time. Jordan and Cunningham are cousins, according to the GoFundMe description. If you would like to donate, click here.
Deputies are still searching for a person who may have been driving a late model Ford F-150 truck during one of the shootings.
If you have any information on any of these shootings, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $3,000 reward.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.