Man tracks down and kills 3 men after dispute at Florida store, then calls 911, cops say

A simmering neighborhood argument turned into a triple murder in Florida, and it was the suspect who called 911 to report the killings, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

It happened around 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12, and the bodies were discovered at various locations in the neighborhood, including two left along a street, officials said.

Multiple people called 911 to report someone had been shot.

“One of the callers identified himself as Jerome Anderson and Anderson stated he had shot someone,” police said in a news release.

“Officer Keme Okoya responded to the area and located Jerome Anderson standing in front of 613 Park Drive. Officer Okoya observed Anderson holding a cell phone in one hand and a black handgun in the other hand. Anderson was detained and placed in handcuffs.”

Three victims were found in the neighborhood:

• Antoine Melvin, 42, “was located inside the kitchen area at 613 Park Drive,” dead from gunshot wounds.
• John Burch, 64, was found fatally shot “directly in front of 614 Park Drive.”
• Patrick Lassiter, 35, was discovered wounded in the road on South Martin Luther King Boulevard and taken to Halifax Hospital where he died.

Investigators say the shootings occurred as the result of an argument that began the night before at the King Food Grocery on South Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Anderson, 38, “made statements pertaining to murdering (the other men) during the course of the argument,” according to an affidavit.

Surveillance video shows Lassiter had his hands in the air and was walking backwards in the road when he was shot, officials said. “Anderson then fires the handgun again towards Lassiter while Lassiter is on the ground,” officials said.

Anderson has been charged with three counts of first-degree premeditated murder, and possession of a weapon and ammunition by a convicted felon, officials said. He also has outstanding warrants in Volusia County for “aggravated battery and tampering with a witness,” police said.

Daytona Beach is about 90 miles south of Jacksonville on Florida’s east coast.

This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 7:32 AM with the headline "Man tracks down and kills 3 men after dispute at Florida store, then calls 911, cops say."