TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A man suspected in multiple Tallahassee shootings is behind bars after investigators say he fired seven gunshots near patrolling officers and tried to get away on a bicycle.
Kalwone Charles McKenzie, 42, a convicted felon, was booked into jail Monday.
On Monday afternoon, a Tallahassee Police Department officer in the Bond neighborhood heard seven gunshots fired in rapid succession while on a different call for service.
Arrest documents say the gunshots were fired extremely close to his location at the intersection of Keith Street and Kissimmee Street. Other officers nearby also heard the gunshots.
Due to a number of shootings in the neighborhood, officers drove to the area of Robinson's Grocery at Holton and Osceola Street.
Eventually, an officer spotted McKenize fleeing the area on a bike and ran after him, giving loud verbal commands for him to stop.
McKenzie had his right hand in his right jacket pocket as the officers approached him, investigators wrote, so officers held him at gunpoint and told him to get on the ground. McKenzie complied and was handcuffed.
Documents note that McKenzie is known to law enforcement and has been identified by name as the suspect in multiple shootings.
Once he was handcuffed, officers removed a handgun from his pocket. Investigators noted that the gun was hot and had a shell casing sticking out of the side of the weapon's ejection port.
According to court documents, McKenzie told officers that the caliber removed from the handgun was a ".380."
While in custody, documents say McKenzie spontaneously stated that a different individual "was just shooting the gun and threw it, and I just picked it up and rode away." He told officers that he was riding his bicycle by the store when he saw the person throw the gun by the dumpster. McKenzie said he picked up the gun because he wanted it.
Investigators say McKenzie repeated multiple times that he saw a person shooting the gun by the store. However, McKenzie initially couldn't provide officers with a description of the person who shot the gun.
During the investigation, officers found seven spent .380 shell casings on the northwest corner of Robinson's Grocery.
Based on the evidence, McKenzie was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm in public and possession of a firearm by convicted felon. As of Thursday, McKenzie remains in the Leon County Detention Center on a $12,500 bond.
The court documents say McKenzie is a suspect in multiple shootings on Tallahassee's southside:
On Oct. 20, 2018, "McKenzie was on the scene of a shooting [on Holton Street]," approximately two blocks away from Robinson's Grocery. McKenzie matched the description of the suspect but was not charged because the authorities were unable to find a firearm.
On Dec. 29, 2018, officers responded to Robinson's Grocery for another shooting incident. Witnesses identified McKenzie as the shooter but he was not arrested because no firearm could be located. At that time, .380 caliber shells were also found on scene.
On Dec. 30, 2018, McKenzie met the description of a tall and skinny black male involved in a shooting on Liberty Street near Bragg Memorial Stadium, but he was never found. Police say .380 caliber shells were also found on scene.
