LAKE CITY, Fla. – An altercation Sunday between the family of a 12-year-old who was shot and killed in August and the family of a recently arrested suspect in the case ended in a Lake City woman’s arrest, police said.
Mariah Smith was killed in August when shots were fired into her Lake City home, striking her while she was sitting on a couch.
Jatarious Rashad Fluellen, 14, was arrested in the shooting in August, and Jayden Tyler Burch, 15, was arrested in October.
RELATED: 14-year-old charged with murder in deadly shooting of 12-year-old in Lake City
According to Lake City Police, Burch’s family and Smith’s family got into a dispute around 7 p.m. Sunday on NW Long Street.
A person involved in the dispute told police that during the altercation, Lucille Simpson, 55, drove by, lowered the passenger window of her vehicle and said “I’ll lay your behind out,” while holding a gun in her right hand.
Police said Simpson was located and arrested on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
“The incident in question involved a reprehensible and intimidating act directed at the family of 12-year-old Mariah Smith, who tragically lost her life on Aug. 24, 2023,” Lake City Police Chief Gerald Butler said. “As I have said before, we will continue to work diligently to identify and arrest all those involved in this case.”
Anyone with any information on the incident is asked to contact the Lake City Police Department at 386- 752-4343.
Copyright 2023 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
