Attempted homicide on Halloween in Winter Park

A man was shot near Pennsylvania Avenue on Halloween night – and Winter Park Police are still searching for an attempted murder suspect on the loose.

The incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. near the intersection of North Pennsylvania Avenue and Dunbar Street. Lt. Pam Marcum would not disclose details about the investigation, but assured that Saturday’s incident isn’t being approached as a random attack.

“This wasn’t some type of random shooting,” Marcum said. “That’s not the type of investigation we’re leading.”

Marcum said that only one shot was fired at the victim, who was quickly rushed to the hospital that night. The victim’s identity has not yet been disclosed.

Another near-deadly shooting in Winter Park took place just the month before, when a Winter Park man was arrested after shooting at two men outside a Wawa gas station, just moments after asking them for a cigarette.

Two officers working a traffic detail across the street heard the shots and pursued the suspect, who had fled from the scene in his Buick.

“The guy did it almost at a place where there was an officer sitting right across the street at the time, blatantly with his lights on working a traffic detail,” Capt. Jeff Biles said. “So for him to go that far, knowing that the officers were right there, he just had a blatant disregard for justice.”

Marcum told the Observer in September that shootings like this are rare in Winter Park, and that residents should notify police whenever they see something suspicious.

Even more rare within Winter Park are homicides. The city hasn’t seen a murder since August 2013, when a home invasion robbery off of Loren Avenue resulted in the death of 29-year-old Patrick Taft Jackson, who suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. It was the first death in the city resulting in a criminal homicide charge since 2006.

The suspect behind Saturday’s shooting has been identified as Tyrone Lamar Hollinger and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, according to a press release. The suspect, who had been acquainted with the victim, faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm and aggravated battery with a firearm.