ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A man identified as the gunman during a shooting last fall at a high school game in Alabama has been arrested in Florida, authorities said.
Hezekiah Kaneil Belfon, 20, was arrested in St. Johns County south of Jacksonville, according to St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office online booking records. Belfon was a passenger in a vehicle that was pulled over for speeding in St. Augustine, WALA-TV reported.
At a Thursday afternoon news conference, Mobile police Chief Paul Prine said the Florida police officer checked Belfon’s identity and discovered that he was wanted in Mobile on five counts of attempted murder, the television station reported.
“It’s been about 5 1/2 months, but although it was frustrating I think it also proves the notion that it’s just (a) matter of when you’re apprehended,” Prine told reporters.
Five people were injured, including two adults and three teens, in the shooting at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile on Oct. 15, 2021, WKRG reported. The original number was listed as four, according to Mobile police.
>> 4 injured after shooting at prep football game in Mobile
Host Williamson High School was trailing Vigor High School of Prichard 28-12 when the shots broke out with about six minutes remaining in the homecoming game, AL.com reported. Spectators scattered toward the exits, and some spilled onto the field, the website reported.
Players on the field dropped to the ground for safety, AL.com reported.
Authorities alleged that Belfon was at the game and that he went to the parking lot to get a gun, WALA reported.
Another suspect, Jai Montrell Scott Jr., 19, of Semmes, who was arrested in October, is also charged with five counts of attempted murder, the television station reported.
A 17-year-old, who police said also was armed but did not shoot, was also arrested in connection with the shooting.
“It’s a huge win for the police department, it’s a huge win certainly for the community,” Prine told reporters. “(Belfon) was a threat to the community. And although we did not catch him here, if he was a threat here he was certainly a threat to the community he was at.”
Belfon will be extradited to Alabama to answer for the five attempted murder charges, WALA reported.
“I believe with the arrest of Mr. Belfon we have all the individuals in this particular case that were suspects in this shooting,” Prine told reporters. “We’ve been working diligently on it, but it also goes to show you there’s no such thing as a routine traffic stop. I say that because we do quite a bit of traffic safety checkpoints, and those things are important not only from the standpoint of compliance or even deterrence, but certainly looking for those that are a fugitive of the law.”
