Accident – Death – Obituary News : **West Palm Beach Man Arrested for Fatal Shooting at City Apartment Complex**
A 21-year-old man from West Palm Beach has been taken into custody by the police in connection to a tragic incident that took place last week at a city apartment complex. Damario Jones is facing a first-degree murder charge after investigators alleged that he shot and killed 19-year-old Jeanariun St. Fort on the morning of Feb. 21 at the Lake Mangonia Apartments on North Australian Avenue.
**Arrest and Court Hearing Details**
During a court hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Palm Beach County Jail, Circuit Judge Donald Hafele assigned Jones a public defender and ordered that he be held without bail and have no contact with St. Fort’s family. The Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office does not comment on active cases.
**Efforts to Address Violence in the Community**
The apartment complex where the fatal shooting occurred has been the focus of recent efforts by city police to address violence in the community. In an attempt to make the complex safer, police hosted a community pop-up party on Feb. 17 to meet residents and discuss ways to improve safety.
**Surveillance Video Evidence**
According to Jones’ arrest report, officers responded to the complex just before 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 21 and found St. Fort lying in the hallway with multiple gunshot wounds. St. Fort was pronounced dead at St. Mary’s Medical Center. Surveillance-camera footage showed Jones and at least one other person involved in the shooting. The video also captured a silver Ford Escape fleeing to a neighboring complex, where officers located the vehicle and obtained a search warrant. Jones’ fingerprints were found on the vehicle.
**Denial of Involvement**
After being taken into custody, Jones admitted being at the Lake Mangonia Apartments on the morning of the incident but denied shooting St. Fort. He claimed to have heard gunfire and froze, according to the arrest report. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, and it is unknown if any other arrests are pending.
**Support for the Community**
“We’ve been working with the property owners. We’re engaged with the community and the community is stepping up,” said police spokesman Mike Jachles in a video conference with reporters. “Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the problems from this property.”
**Contact Information**
Julius Whigham II, a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post, can be reached at jwhigham@pbpost.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Support their work by subscribing today..