Two-year investigation into West Palm apartment complex shooting leads to murder charge
WEST PALM BEACH — A West Palm Beach police homicide investigation that began more than two years ago has resulted in a Central Florida man’s arrest this month on a murder charge.
Jeremy Johnson, 26, of Altamonte Springs, was arrested Aug. 16 in the April 2022 shooting death of Timothy Gomez Cambridge of Port St. Lucie in an apparent drug deal that went bad. Johnson is facing one count each of first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
During a court hearing on Aug. 17 at the Palm Beach County Jail, County Judge Stephanie Tew ordered that Johnson be held without bail on the murder charge. Tew also assigned a public defender to represent Johnson. As a policy, the county Public Defender’s Office does not comment on open cases.
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Investigators say the fatal shooting occurred shortly before 10:30 p.m. on April 2, 2022, during an apparent drug deal in the parking lot of the Parkside Residences apartment complex on the 5500 block of North Haverhill Road, near 45th Street.
A witness who identified himself as a friend of Cambridge told investigators he and Cambridge had arranged to meet with a group of men that night to sell them codeine cough syrup. Codeine is an opioid medication that is used to treat mild to moderate pain and is considered addictive.
The witness said two men exited a Chevy Malibu shortly after arriving at the apartment complex and approached a Corvette driven by Cambridge. Another man remained in the Malibu’s driver seat. A conversation over the transaction took place at the rear driver’s side of the Corvette, the witness told investigators.
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The witness said the two prospective buyers then brandished firearms, prompting him to flee on foot. He described hearing gunshots and returning to find Cambridge lying on the ground.
Cambridge, 26, died at the scene from gunshot wounds to his lower back and left shoulder, police said.
During the subsequent investigation, the witness provided police with Instagram accounts for two potential suspects. Police used the social media accounts to identify Johnson and the Malibu’s driver. The witness later identified Johnson as one of the two men who brandished a firearm, police said.
Cellphone records placed Johnson near the scene at the time of the shooting, according to the arrest report.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Fatal 2022 drug deal leads to man’s arrest on murder charge
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