Two men who unleashed a volley of bullets into a Florida man and paralyzed him will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
On Jan. 31, a Sarasota judge sentenced Akeleis Dumbar, 25, and Carlos Herrera, 22, to life in prison for the shooting of Jamari Williams. After a 10-day trial, the defendants were found guilty and convicted of first-degree attempted murder with a firearm, aggravated battery with a firearm causing great bodily harm, shooting at or into an occupied vehicle, and shooting at or into an occupied dwelling.
“The strength and resiliency of Jamari Williams and his family is unparalleled. While no amount of time will ever fully restore Mr. Williams, the jury’s verdict and Court’s sentence provided the justice he and his family deserved,” said Assistant State Attorney Megan Leaf, reported 10 Tampa Bay.
Around 3 am on Nov. 23, 2022, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office responded to the 1100 Block of Grantham Drive after several reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found 31-year-old Williams slumped in the driver's seat of his vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. Soon, first responders rushed the victim to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where he was immediately operated on. Williams survived the ordeal despite the bullets tearing up his liver and small intestines and lodged in his brain, causing paralysis to his right side.
According to Patch, Dumbar and Herrera snuck into the victim's neighborhood and waited for Williams to return home. 40 minutes later, upon the victim's arrival and parking his car, the defendants drove close to Williams before firing 17 rounds of bullets into him and fleeing the scene.
Later, investigators retrieved video footage from a neighbor’s security camera that showed a white SUV with tinted windows driving slowly to the victim’s house. Authorities discovered the SUV was a rental linked to both men. In addition, forensic analysis of the bullet casings and fingerprints also linked Dumbar and Herrera to the crime.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear.
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