A 29-year-old man suspected of shooting a couple in their Central Florida home was recently located and arrested in Michigan.
In a social media post, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office stated that the suspect, Malik J. McKenzie, was arrested this past weekend in Southfield, Michigan, in connection with a shooting that occurred last week in Deltona, Florida.
VCSO stated that at around 3 a.m. on Monday, August 19, McKenzie was wearing a mask when he was captured on video surveillance footage outside the victims’ home. Moments later, he allegedly shot both victims, and they sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the sheriff’s office, McKenzie is the ex-boyfriend of one of the victims.
An investigation was launched by VCSO, and detectives found another surveillance camera in the Deltona neighborhood that captured a dark Nissan Altima bearing a license plate that was assigned to another vehicle. Detectives believe that this vehicle was being driven by McKenzie.
During the investigation, detectives tracked down the van that the Nissan’s license plate belonged to, and they learned that the tag had been stolen on July 26. The sheriff’s office stated that detectives then tracked down additional video surveillance footage, which allegedly showed McKenzie stealing the tag.
“The suspect in that video matched the appearance of the shooter caught on video outside the victims’ home,” said VCSO in a social media post.
VCSO analysts proceeded to use license plate readers in the area to identify a Nissan Altima with a Georgia tag that was registered to McKenzie. The vehicle’s route was then retraced through Volusia County, which included visits to a local gas station and McDonald’s, and McKenzie was allegedly “identifiable on video” at each of the stops.
In addition, detectives obtained “digital evidence” that allegedly linked McKenzie to the double shooting in Deltona, according to the sheriff’s office.
After a warrant was issued for McKenzie’s arrest, police officers in Southfield, Michigan located him on Saturday, August 24, and he was taken into custody.
McKenzie currently remains in custody in Michigan pending extradition to Volusia County, where he will face the following charges: attempted first-degree murder (two counts) and armed burglary (one count).