FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — Fort Myers Police Chief Jason Fields spoke to WINK News for the first time since the brutal homicide of a woman on Thursday.
Authorities responded to a disturbance at the D&D convenience store on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and found a woman with traumatic injuries. They immediately attempted life-saving measures and noticed significant damage to a vehicle in the parking lot.
"We kicked into action, put our resources on the ground, set up a perimeter, and did all the good tactics that we would do," Fields said.
Fields said he didn't know the full criminal history at the time of the interview of the suspect, Rolbert Joachin. Witnesses were able to provide descriptions of what happened, moments after the attack.
"This was an all-hands-on-deck scenario," Fields said. "Given this heinous crime, we were going to capture him one way or another."
The department called in local and federal partners to assist. WINK News reporter Maddie Herron observed checkpoints where officers appeared to be looking for anyone matching the suspect's description.
"Nobody was going home, myself included," Fields said.
Authorities said Joachin was ultimately located and detained on Mango Street.
Fields credited the community for providing numerous tips through social media, phone calls and people shouting out when they saw someone matching the description. The department used aviation support, canine units and officers on the ground to search.
"I would just say one word, persistence," Fields said. "We were not going home until we found him."
The investigation was still in its early stages at the time of the interview. Fields could not confirm the victim's identity, though friends told WINK News she had family and was loved in the community.
"Given this tragic incident, our hearts do go out to her family, and we're going to offer every victim advocate support that we have," Fields said.
When asked if there would be any increased patrols in the area of the attack, Chief Fields said the department has no safety concerns because the suspect is in custody. He expressed confidence that investigators will build a strong case for the State Attorney's Office.
