A 14-year-old Lake City teen has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of a 12-year-old girl who was shot and killed while watching television at her home last week.
Jatarious Rashad Fluellen II, 14, was charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder in connection with the case.
Greg Burnsed, a Lake City Police Department spokesman, said he was “not sure” whether Fluellen was the shooter in the case.
“I know he’s involved because he was arrested, but his role is not clear yet,” Burnsed said Tuesday afternoon.
Fluellen was arrested Monday at the Lake City Police Station.
“He was here for an interview and at the conclusion of the interview he was arrested,” Burnsed said, noting additional arrests are expected.
Thursday night, just after 9 p.m., LCPD officers were dispatched to a NW Long Street home in regards to a person having been shot.
When officers arrived they found that Mariah Smith, a 12-year-old, had been shot. First aid was rendered to the child by officers and Emergency Medical Services, but the child succumbed to her injuries. She was reportedly sitting on a couch in her home watching television, when the house was struck by a hail of bullets.
Authorities are still investigating what led to the fatal shooting.
Burnsed said help from the public played an important role in making the first arrest in the case.
“The public has been real helpful in providing theories, names who they thought was involved, which is a big step from what we’ve gotten in the past,” he said. “Anybody with cameras has come forward and provided that information to us to help. The public has been a big help in this case.”
Burnsed said he believes the public has felt compelled to aid in the investigation due to the nature of the child’s death.
“This was a 12-year-old girl sitting on her couch doing her homework watching cartoons — exactly where she should have been,” he said. “She was an innocent, innocent victim and I think people are getting tired of it.”
Burnsed encouraged anyone who may have additional information regarding the case to contact LCPD investigator Sapp.
“If you know something, please give us a call, talk to Investigator Sapp, let her know what you know,” he said. “We may have heard it five times, but still, every little detail is important.”