LEESBURG, Fla. — Detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man they said was involved in the homicide of a man outside a Walmart in Leesburg.
Scott Bernard Thomas, 24, was found Thursday at Birchwood Apartments in Leesburg, deputies said.
He ran from deputies, but was apprehended by a sheriff’s K-9, deputies said.
Details of his alleged involvement in the death of Mark Estes, 44, have not been released but Thomas was charged with third-degree murder.
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Detectives also found Estes’ red Toyota Camry that left the scene of a fatal shooting Monday night outside the Walmart on Citrus Boulevard, deputies said.
#BreakingNews: Lake Co Deputies have arrested a suspect. They say was involved in the Fruitland Park #Walmart homicide, earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/jqK4TCizXL
— Myrt Price (@MPriceWFTV) September 22, 2016
Deputies said they received a tip on Wednesday that the car was behind an abandoned house in the area of Whitney and Veech roads in Leesburg.
Detectives are processing the car for evidence.
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An autopsy was performed Tuesday morning on Estes.
Preliminary results showed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound, and the manner of death is homicide.
Deputies said that the shooting appeared to be drug-related and not a random crime.
Drugs were found at the scene, investigators said.
According to court records, Thomas has been arrested 12 times in the past six years.
At the time of the shooting, he had been out of jail for nine days after marijuana possession arrest, officials said.
Cox Media Group
