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DAVENPORT — The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help with an investigation into the shooting death of a 29-year-old St. Petersburg man in Davenport Wednesday.
Officials say the incident involving the death of Xavier Antonio Johnson happened in a home on Acorn Court in the Solterra subdivision around 8:30 p.m., where unknown suspects went inside the house and shot him.
According to a release, Johnson was shot during a suspected drug transaction inside the home rented via Airbnb. The Sheriff’s Office alleges Johnson and his associates had been selling marijuana from the house since April 8.
Video surveillance from the home captured what appeared to be three men carrying Johnson out of the house. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said some of the men have been identified.
At a press conference Monday, Judd said Johnson did not die at the house.
“So the three people who we’ve needed to identify took him out of the house and dropped him off at the [Adventhealth] Heart of Florida Haines City Hospital,” Judd said at the press conference. “And then they fled.”
Judd said Johnson died at the hospital from a gunshot wound.
At the beginning of the investigation, detectives were trying to determine where Johnson was shot before being brought to the hospital. During this time, the owner of the Airbnb property called the Sheriff’s Office, which led deputies to the crime scene.
Judd said deputies arrested Justin Jenkins, 29. Jenkins is one of two suspects allegedly depicted in a video the Sheriff’s Office released Monday. He said Jenkins was taken into custody in South Daytona Beach.
“We need our homicide sleuths, our social media sleuths to help us identify who was with Justin,” Judd said. “We’re going to release another video clip. Find out who that person is, call us, give us a positive ID and you could get $5,000.”
Judd said detectives have already identified the three people shown in a previously released video and are investigating them. The Sheriff’s Office, however, is not releasing their identities.
According to Judd, detectives have not established the relationship between Johnson and the three people captured on video carrying him out of the house.
Judd also said Johnson was not the person who rented the home from the Airbnb owners and that the owners are “certainly innocent.”
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 863-298-6200. Those who wish to remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward can contact Heartland Crime Stoppers by calling 800-226-8477 or visiting www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com.