MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Manatee County man who was wanted for shooting multiple people the day after Thanksgiving was arrested in Georgia on Sunday morning.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said that Ronnie D. Morton III, 23, was arrested on Dec. 8 by the Savannah Police Department after a detective learned that he was traveling on an Amtrak train from Florida to North Carolina.
Morton's cell phone pinged on railroad tracks north of Jacksonville on Dec. 7 as he headed into Georgia. Detectives, along with Amtrak Police and the Savannah Police Department, arrested Morton at a train station in Savannah.
MCSO said that just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 29, Morton shot multiple rounds in the direction of a 25-year-old man he was arguing with in the parking lot of Absolute Sports Lounge in Bradenton. The intended victim was shot several times, along with four bystanders. All victims had non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at local hospitals.
Witnesses didn't give deputies detailed information, but an investigation revealed that Morton was likely headed out of state.
Morton is being charged with five counts of aggravated battery with a firearm, felony possession of a firearm, and armed robbery from a previous outstanding warrant out of Manatee County. He is being held in the Chatham County Jail and will be extradited to Manatee County.
Detectives are still trying to identify another man who was in the car with Morton the night of the shooting. He is described as a Black male who was wearing a black and silver shirt with the number 77 on it. Anyone with information is being asked to contact the Manatee County Sheriff's Office at (941) 747-3011 or Crime Stoppers at (866) 634-TIPS or ManateeCrimeStoppers.com.
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