FORT WALTON BEACH, FL – Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested two men suspected in a drive-by shooting near Fort Walton Beach Friday, who then tried to make a getaway before ditching the car and taking off on foot.
One of the men had been seen pointing a firearm towards a house on Lowrey Drive, and then a gunshot was heard. No one was injured.
The suspect vehicle, driven by 30-year old Nija Gamble of Florosa, fled from deputies in reverse down Elaine Avenue around one in the afternoon, hitting a car and then continuing to flee at high speeds onto Oak Street. While the car was in motion, the passenger, later identified as 31-year old Lekendrick Ingram of Fort Walton Beach, got out and took a tumble. Gamble then jumped out, leaving the car in drive. While they ran, the car continued to the end of Oak Street and struck a tree.
Both fled east through yards while OCSO deputies, with the assistance of the Fort Walton Beach Police Department, set up a perimeter. Ingram was found on Hickory Street and taken into custody. Gamble was spotted entering a home on Earl Street. All the occupants there came out, except Gamble. With the help of an OCSO K9, he was located hiding inside.
A black bag found nearby that Gamble had been seen grabbing from the car contained cash and narcotics. Gamble is charged with resisting an officer, driving with a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance, trafficking in hydrocodone, trafficking in methamphetamines’, trafficking in heroin, and more. Ingram is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and resisting an officer.