Man Accused Of Shooting Women May Have Fled State

None — Police believe the sharpshooter who used a laser sight to target women at a party in Daytona Beach escaped out of state. At one point on Tuesday, someone thought he saw Willie Poindexter on a Votran bus but it turned out not to be him.

AT THE SCENE: Images Outside Home, Victim

Two separate groups of friends, mostly women, had an altercation at the Coliseum Night Club in Daytona Beach last Wednesday night. Police say the groups argued and it carried on until one person was dead.

Willie Poindexter, a 22-year-old from Ohio and a bouncer at the Coliseum Night Club, is now the focus of an almost weeklong murder investigation.

"What we do know for a fact is that a 24-year-old mother and her friend were gunned down outside of 424 Keech Street, and the person responsible is Willie Poindexter,” said Daytona Beach Police Chief Michael Chitwood.

The gunshots, guided by green and red laser sights, killed 24-year-old Katie Burson and wounded Lashanna Bates in the front yard of a home.

Police said that Burson was shot in the head and Bates was shot in the elbow and in the back. Burson was taken to Halifax Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. Bates is still recovering from her wounds.

"It defies logic to think that a person would just get out there and load up a .22-caliber rifle, lay a laser on people and start plucking them off, over what?” said Chitwood.

Police are now hearing from sources on the streets that the shooting was the result of an argument between two groups of friends at the nightclub on Beach Street.

What began as an argument at the club became a physical altercation at the Shell gas station on Nova Road a short time later. That is where a massive brawl erupted, sending two women to the hospital.

"There's a car window broke in, there's a free for all, there's three 911 calls made about the fight," said Chitwood.

Police say a man dressed as a woman had his wig pulled off and someone threatened him.

"I don't fight dudes. We have gunplay for that," was the threat, Chitwood said.

Only a few hours later, someone fired the 12 rounds on Keech Street. Police believe the shooter is Poindexter because they found a box for a green laser scope in his home, along with targets he used for practice.

"We know who, we know how, we know where. We may never know why," said Chitwood.

Police believe Poindexter knows he is wanted and that is why he may have fled out of state. There is a $5,000 reward for information that helps lead to his capture.

Previous Stories: August 12, 2011: Cops: 2 Women Shot, 1 Dead After House Party

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