2nd suspect sought in deadly Fort Lauderdale shooting
FORT LAUDERDALE – It’s been four months since Jamar Ahmed Mousakheel was shot dead in a Fort Lauderdale beach-area parking lot and, while one suspect has been arrested, another shooter is still at large— and police are seeking thepublic’s help to find him.
Investigators released two surveillance videos and several 911 recordings on Tuesday in hopes of generating new leads in the case.
The videos show two men arguing with Mousakheel at about 11:10 p.m. June 2 at 231 Almond Ave., north of East Las Olas Boulevard andwest of State Road A1A.
Video shows a man getting a gun from a car and then shooting Mousakheel in the left leg. The shooter appears to speak with the victim before driving away in a light-colored, 4-door compact sedan, possibly a Nissan. He appears to have a slim build and shoulderlength dreadlocks. He has yet to be apprehended, police said Tuesday.
A witness on the 20th floor of a building overlooking the parking lot was on the phone with a 911 operator to report the shooting when he saw a second man approach.
“I think someone’s walking over to him right now,” the caller said, before a bang was heard on the recording. “Oh [expletive], he was just shot in the face.”
“Somebody just shot him in the face?” the operator asked.
“Yeah, oh my God, he’s walking away right now.” the caller said.
Mousakheel, 31, was shot at close range while he was still on the ground. According to authorities, the man who fired that fatal shot was Gerald Gotcher, 43, of Fort Lauderdale. Hewas arrested within 72 hours and charged with murder.
Mousakheelwas taken to Broward Health Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Mousakheel was released from prison in 2016 after serving time for an armed carjacking conviction. But Mousakheel’s family and friends told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the father of a 3-year-old boy was not a bad person.
“He was definitely turning his life around… and trying to do better,” said Tia Smith, of Lauderhill, who helped raise him. “He did have a criminal past, but that didn’t define him.”
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Fort Lauderdale Detective Sergeant Steve Novak at 954-828-5556. Anonymous tips can be given to Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477 or online at bro ward crime stoppers.