Three people from the St. Petersburg area were arrested Saturday afternoon after a shooting at a North Port apartment complex led officers to process three separate scenes and uncover suspected drug trafficking.
According to the North Port Police Department, officers responded around 4 p.m. to the Flats at Sundown Apartments on Sun Market Place after reports of gunfire.
Multiple shell casings were found in the parking lot near the swimming pool. Around the same time, a small gray SUV with bullet holes was found abandoned and leaking fuel across the street near the Jiffy Lube on Toledo Blade Boulevard.
Witnesses told police several individuals ran from the scene, with some heading behind a nearby Publix. Officers located two of the suspects at a Burger King on Toledo Blade Boulevard near Price Boulevard. A third person was taken into custody at a McDonald’s on Sumter and Price Boulevard after being dropped off there.
Officers processed scenes at the apartment complex, the Jiffy Lube and the Burger King.
Investigators believe two groups arrived separately and an argument escalated into gunfire. At least one handgun was fired, and evidence consistent with liquid narcotics was found at the fast-food restaurant.
All three people arrested are from outside Sarasota County.
Kevon Merritt, 19, and a 17-year-old juvenile, both arrested at the Burger King, face charges of trafficking oxycodone and booked into the Sarasota County Jail.
The third suspect, Dejon Love, 27, was taken into custody at the McDonald’s and had an outstanding arrest warrant in Hillsborough County for grand theft.
No injuries were reported, despite several bystanders being at the pool during the shooting.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are asking anyone who was at the pool at the time to contact the department at (941)429-7300.
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