BRADENTON, Fla. — Bradenton Police are searching for a suspect involved in a shooting at a Tropicana plant on Monday.
Police said an employee at the orange juice plant, 50-year-old Demetrius Tyrone Bell, entered the workplace around 10:24 p.m. and shot a coworker.
Bell then allegedly left the plant in a 2015 black Camaro with the Florida license plate QUQF97. The victim was taken to a local hospital as a trauma alert; police have not released information on his current condition.
"We are looking to bring him into custody as quickly as we can, because we're very concerned about this situation. Anytime you have someone who is a convicted felon who has shot a coworker, we want to make sure that we bring them into custody very quickly, and that no one else gets hurt." said Bradenton Police PIO Meredith Frameli.
Police believe that the two men were involved in a dispute. No other employees were injured.
They added that warrants have been issued for Bell, who faces charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
"Certainly, though, for anyone who was working at that location last night, anyone who knows the victim, it's really scary. And so that's why we want to make sure that this doesn't happen again," Frameli said.
Anyone with information on Bell's location is asked to contact Detective Jeff Beckley at 941-932-9356 or jeff.beckley@bradentonpd.com. You can also contact the Bradenton Police Department at 941-932-9300.
To remain anonymous and eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000, call Crime Stoppers (tollfree) at 1-866-634-8477 (TIPS) or send an anonymous E-Tip through manateecrimestoppers.com.
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