Sarasota man being held without bond
The Sarasota Police Department has arrested a 42-year-old Sarasota man in connection with the shooting death of a 56-year-old man on Sept. 22, the agency announced just before 5 p.m. on Sept. 23.
Jeremy Maurice Shannon, of 2514 Mango Ave., was confined in the Manatee County Jail following his arrest, the Police Department noted, pending transfer to the Sarasota County Jail. He had been charged with murder and with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, the Manatee County record pointed out.
Early in the afternoon of Sept. 25, The Sarasota News Leader learned that Shannon had been booked into the Sarasota County Jail. He was being held without bond, his jail record said. His arraignment was scheduled for Nov. 8, the record added.
The victim was identified as Joel Concepcion, but his address was redacted in the Probable Causes Affidavit for Shannon.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, the Police Department said in a news release, officers responding to a report of gunshots near the 1800 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Way in Sarasota “found the victim lying on the ground, unresponsive, with multiple gunshot wounds.” The release added, “Sarasota County Fire Rescue paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene.”
Details of the shooting
The Probable Cause Affidavit for Shannon, which the Police Department provided the News Leader at its request, said the shooting occurred in a parking lot located to the east of King’s Meat Market, which stands at 1810 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found the victim, Concepcion, lying next to a Saturn Vue with a Florida license tag. The driver’s side door was “wide open,” the affidavit said, and blood was found both inside and outside the vehicle.
The Vue was registered to Pedro E. Vera-Benitez, the affidavit noted. When detectives went to the address listed on the registration card, they talked with Vera-Benitez, who told them that he and Concepcion had driven “around the city for a couple of hours before stopping at a Wawa gas station” located at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Myrtle Street, the affidavit continued.
While Vera-Benitez was inside paying for gas, the affidavit added, Concepcion drove off in the vehicle without Vera-Benitez’s permission.
Detectives reviewed the Wawa’s video surveillance footage, which corroborated Vera-Benitez’s statement, the affidavit said.
Detectives also received information from an individual who had witnessed the shooting, the affidavit continued. The witness “provided important information about the suspect” but did not know the suspect’s identity, the affidavit noted. The witness was parked near the crime scene when the witness heard five gunshots, the affidavit added. The witness observed the suspect pointing a firearm at the victim and saw the victim fall out of the Vue onto the ground, the affidavit said.
After the shooting, the affidavit continued, the suspect lowered the gun to his waist and entered a silver minivan. The suspect then drove south on North Links Avenue, the affidavit said. Video surveillance from the area captured the vehicle headed southbound on Links and then westbound on 24th Street, the affidavit added.
Other video surveillance captured the Dodge minivan northbound on Old Bradenton Road at the University Parkway intersection, the affidavit continued. Detectives were able to read the license tag number, enabling them to learn that Shannon was the registered owner.
A photo lineup was administered to the witness, who positively identified Shannon as the shooter, the affidavit said.
A Police Department check of Shannon’s criminal history found that he previously had been sentenced to 21 years in jail on a second-degree murder charge. He was released in 2021, the affidavit noted.
A News Leader search of records maintained by the Office of the Sarasota County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller found that, in August 2001, Shannon was charged with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. However, because of the age of the related court records, the News Leader was unable to learn details of that case.
Sarasota Police detectives and crime scene technicians launched an immediate investigation, the release continued. “Throughout the night, several witness interviews were conducted, surveillance footage was extensively reviewed, and the crime scene was processed for forensic evidence,” the release continued.
Early in the morning of Sept. 23, the release said, detectives identified Shannon as the suspect “and began their search to apprehend him.” They “located Shannon at an apartment complex in Ellenton,” the release added. “With the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Task Force, Shannon was taken into custody without incident,” it noted.
Shannon was being interviewed by Sarasota Police detectives while he was in the Manatee County Jail, the release said.
By count of the News Leader, the Sept. 22 incident was the 13th shooting this year in the Newtown community of Sarasota. Prior to this one, the most recent occurred on July 30. Three people — including two juveniles and a 36-year-old woman — were arrested in the aftermath of that incident, in which a juvenile victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries. That shooting occurred at 1865 29thSt., the Police Department reported at the time.
Before the Sept. 22 incident, the last shooting in the city of Sarasota that resulted in a death occurred on May 16, the News Leader learned in a review of its articles. The victim in that case was a 28-year-old male, the Police Department reported.
That incident occurred near the intersection of 31st Street and Osprey Avenue in Sarasota, the agency said. Two teenagers were arrested in connection with that homicide.
No injuries reported in second shooting on Sept. 22
Additionally on Sept. 22, the Police Department announced just after 5 a.m. that it was investigating a shooting that occurred “around 3 a.m.” near the 1100 block of North Washington Boulevard.
No injuries were reported, that news release said, adding that two individuals were in custody.
“This is an isolated incident, and the public is not believed to be in danger,” that news release pointed out.
The Police Department asked that anyone with information about the case call the non-emergency number at 941-316-1199 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS or going online to www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com.
No other details about that incident were released prior to the publication deadline for this issue of the News Leader.