None of the people reporting suspiciously parked cars throughout the city, which may or may not contain dead bodies, have been charged with filing false police reports. But since Thursday’s discovery of the body of Tavish Greene, 24, in the trunk of a 2004 Chevy Malibu behind
One of the three incorrect reports led
“We have to act on that kind of information to at least verify if there is or isn’t, and there was no body in that trunk,” he said. “A lot of it appears to be social media or somebody heard someone say this. It’s all rumor, but wheels start to turn and they start drawing inferences on their own.”
Sheriff Frank McKeithen and Springfield Police Chief Philip Thorne also were present and promoting community assistance in reporting unlawful activities.
Officials have not released the cause of Greene’s death, but Ervin announced Monday investigators have enough information to work the case as a homicide investigation.
Greene had been missing since July 20 before being found in the trunk of his car Thursday morning. His mother said he had received death threats after witnessing a passenger in his car get shot in the head near KJ’s Nightclub,
The shooting allegedly transpired because 19-year-old Jshun Smith, Greene’s passenger, bought a drink for a girl at the nightclub, according to police reports.
The confrontation continued out into the parking lot where other witnesses said they saw Khiry Ross, 24, and Marcus Mathis, 25, engaged in a shootout with Smith, of
Smith was struck in the head at some point and fell out of Greene’s car onto the roadway as the vehicle sped away, police reported.
Ross and Mathis have been arrested in connection to the shooting. Ross was charged with an open count of murder and Mathis is charged with being an accessory. Both men are in jail.
Smith’s death was one of five gun-related slayings concentrated in a one-mile area of the city.
“We’ve started increasing our resources in these particular areas and we’re going to continue to do that,” Ervin said. “There are things going on that we are concerned about — drugs and gun crimes.”
Police also addressed a Saturday shooting at Andrews Place Apartments at
No one was hurt in the shooting, which occurred at about 2:30 a.m., police reported.
Darrian Aundre Guilford Hamilton, 36, has been charged in the shooting, and police said no direct link between the shooting and Greene’s body existed.
A second person is believed to be involved in the shooting but has not been identified. Police are offering a reward of an unspecified amount for information leading to the identification and arrest of the second party and asked people to look for official reports of missing persons or found bodies before turning to social media.
“A lot of people have information involving gang activity, drug activity and gun activity and we want them to report that,” Ervin said. “If they don’t want to call us directly, we have Crime Stoppers that they can remain anonymous and get that information to us; and hopefully we can prevent some of these things from happening.”
WHO TO CALL
If you have any information in reference to the recent shootings, contact Sgt. Jon Morris at the Panama City Police Department, 850-872-3100, or you can report your tips anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 850-785 (TIPS).