Crime & Safety
Clearwater Murder Suspect Captured
The man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of Michael Rackard was brought into custody on Monday.
CLEARWATER, FL — The manhunt for a suspect in a January murder in Clearwater has ended with an arrest. Clearwater Police announced that La’Mel Johnson, 29, was captured without incident around 11:50 a.m. Monday.
The incident that led to Johnson’s arrest on first-degree murder charges occurred around 6 a.m. Jan. 28 when police say Johnson and Michael Rackard, 34, got into a dispute at a home in the 100 block of North Jefferson Avenue. That dispute ended when Johnson allegedly fired a gun before fleeing the scene.
Rackard suffered injuries in the shooting and was hospitalized as a result. He died on Feb. 2, according to police.
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Johnson was identified as the suspected shooter shortly after the incident, sparking a manhunt. Charges against him were upgraded to first-degree murder shortly after Rackard’s death.
No further information about the case is being made available at this time.
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Photo of La’Mel Johnson courtesy of the Clearwater Police Department
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