PANAMA CITY — Panama City Police are investigating a Christmas Day slaying.
Wilbert Angelo Faison, 56, was shot at about 1 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the Panama City Police Department. He was taken to Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart Health System where he died at 1:31 a.m.
Faison was shot at a house in the 500 block of E. 13th St. near Bay High School — the school where he graduated years earlier. He did not live at the address, but his home was in the neighborhood, a few streets away, police said.
The police department gave few details because the shooting was still under investigation and declined to provide the incident report, saying it wasn’t ready yet.
Sgt. Mike Brewer said they had leads, but could not provide any suspects’ names.
“It’s a tragedy. Any time a murder happens it’s a tragedy,” he said.
Brewer declined provide details on whether the shooter knew the victim.
Faison’s aunt in Phoenix, who declined to give her first name, said she was woken up by a phone call in the middle of the night, giving her the news.
She said Faison was shot in the back, and she didn’t know how many times. She said there was a confrontation of some sort, likely due to a robbery, and he tried to run before being shot.
“On … Christmas, it was devastating, and my whole family is really devastated because, you know, you really just don’t expect that on Christmas,” she said.
The aunt praised her nephew who she said served four years in the military and went to college in Boston at the University of Massachusetts. She said Faison was the oldest out of her mother and father’s 18 grandchildren.
“He was a beautiful, loving nephew,” she said.
The brown house where Faison was shot appeared empty Wednesday — no one answered the door and no cars were in the driveway. There were spray paint markings in the driveway that appeared to indicate where shell casings were found.
Further up the street, plenty of neighbors were outside; kids were enjoying their new gifts; none of them though had even heard the shots, they said.
Johnny Harris, 59, said he went to school and played basketball with Faison. He lives about a block away from where the shooting took place, but didn’t witness it.
Harris said he saw the people who lived in the brown house walking down the street recently with guns on their side. He said they had been in prison and believed the shooting was the result of a drug deal gone wrong.
“Them boys down there living a gangster life,” he said
Harris said he knew Faison really well. He said he dressed nicely, but was no gangster. He said he would give people rides for money, like a taxi. He said he was sure Faison was in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn’t deserve what he got.
“I know he was a quiet guy. … He’ll be missed. He’ll definitely be missed,” he said.
Brewer said there would be talk in the community about the incident because that’s what happens after a shooting. He encouraged anyone with any information to call the Panama City Police Department or 872-3112 or CrimeStoppers at 850-785-TIPS. Reports can be made anonymously.
An earlier version of this story is below:
A Panama City man was shot and killed early Christmas morning and local police are searching for his killer, according to information released by the Panama City Police Department.
Officers responded to gunshots in the 500 Block of E. 13th Street at about 1 a.m. and found that Wilbert Angelo Faison, 56, had been shot. Faison was rushed to a local hospital but died there of his injuries at about 1:31 a.m.
Police have not released any other details about the slaying but are asking anyone with information about the case to contact investigators at (850) 872-3112. Anonymous tips can be reported via CrimeStoppers at (850) 785-TIPS.