JACKSONVILLE, Fla.- A 23-year-old Jacksonville man has been charged with murder after investigators identified him as the masked gunman who allegedly shot his 61-year-old uncle in the back of the head inside a laundromat, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Police identified the suspect as La’Darius Purdy, 23. The victim was Roderick Crawford, 61.
The shooting occurred Monday, Feb. 23, at a laundromat off Soutel Drive in Jacksonville. District 6 patrol officers were dispatched to the business following reports of gunfire.
When officers arrived, they found Crawford suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He died at the scene before he could receive medical treatment.
Surveillance Video Captured Fatal Shooting
Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives began interviewing witnesses and examining security camera footage from the laundromat.
According to JSO, surveillance video showed Crawford loading clothes into a dryer when a young Black man wearing a mask approached and shot him in the back of the head.
Investigators used the surveillance footage and other investigative methods to identify the alleged gunman as Crawford’s nephew, Purdy.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the killing or explained what evidence beyond the surveillance footage led detectives to identify Purdy as the suspect.
Purdy Was Already in Jail on Domestic Battery Warrant
Before Purdy was charged in his uncle’s death, officers arrested him Wednesday on an outstanding Domestic Battery warrant stemming from a separate incident in January.
While Purdy was being held at the Duval County jail, homicide detectives brought him in for an interview concerning Crawford’s killing.
Following that interview, detectives charged Purdy with Murder and Tampering with Evidence.
JSO did not disclose what Purdy allegedly did to result in the evidence-tampering charge.
Purdy remains in the Duval County jail awaiting a court appearance.