Man, 26, killed in drug deal robbery
RIVIERA BEACH — Ojey Meeks likely thought he was along for the ride on a marijuana deal, not a botched robbery that would kill him.
The man facing charges in the 26-year-old’s slaying told investigators he was prepared to rob — not kill — the man.
That man, 2 2 -ye a r- ol d Devone Robi ns o n, f a c e s murder and armed robbery charges. Judge Dina Keever-Agrama ordered Wednesday morning that Robinson remain in the Palm Beach County Jail without the possibility of release until his next court appearance.
Police say they have identified two other people of interest in the case. As of Wednesday evening, Robinson was the only person who had been charged in Meeks’ death.
Detectives say a woman, who has not been charged in Meeks’ death, arranged for two men to rob Meeks. The West Palm Beach resident had driven late Monday to an apartment building on West Ninth Street, east of Australian Avenue and north of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, for what he thought was a drug deal.
Meeks’ f r i e nd s t e pped inside the residence to settle a debt with the woman and to exchange marijuana, the friend told police. Meeks stayed outside in the parked black 2006 BMW.
Detectives suspect Meeks saw Robinson and another man approach him early Tuesday. The man with Robinson was carrying a rifle, records state.
Meeks is believed to have shot at the two men, striking Robinson’s right arm. The men — it is unclear who — fired back, sending a single, fatal shot into Meeks’ head.
Meeks’ friend — the man allegedly arranging the drug exchange — ran to hide when the gunshots rang out. When he heard police responding to the shooting, he reportedly stepped outside and found Meeks bleeding in the BMW. A handgun was on the floorboard, wrapped in a sweater, the friend said.
He took it into a nearby home, afraid that if police spotted it, they would think Meeks was a “bad guy.”
Riviera Beach Fire Rescue officials rushed Meeks to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where he died Tuesday afternoon.
One of Robinson’s relatives drove him to St. Mary’s. Robinson told city police he was shot in the arm while walking down West Ninth Street. He didn’t elaborate either on who shot him or which direction the shots came from.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Riviera Beach police at 561-845-4123 or Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County at 800-458TIPS (8477).