Niceville Chief of Police IDs shooting victim, gives update

NICEVILLE, Fla. – Niceville Chief of Police David Popwell told reporters Monday that police soon will be talking with two people of interest in the shooting deaths of two men in Niceville on Friday evening.

The update on the shooting was broadcast live Monday afternoon by WEAR-TV on Facebook.

Popwell reported that a white car that left the scene after the shooting was located abandoned on I-10 towards Panama City.  The car is being processed by investigators.

Popwell said he believed everyone involved in the shooting was in their mid-20s, including the two men who were killed.

One of the dead men is from Niceville, the other from Tallahassee, he said.

Popwell identified the Tallahassee victim as Brandon James. He could not name the Niceville victim because his next of kin has not yet identified the body.

The shooting took place in the parking lot of Props Ale House. Popwell was quick to point out the shooting had nothing to do with Props; the men simply decided to meet up in the parking lot.

“Things went south from there,” he said, adding that surveillance cameras from nearby businesses captured the scene.

“That will help us in identifying the driver of the car that got away.”

Props and the other businesses nearby are “perfectly safe to go to,” Popwell said.

While he has suspicions on the motive for the shootings, Popwell said he could not discuss them because the investigation is active.

Following the shooting, Popwell said a white car left the scene, traveling down Marc Smith Blvd. to Palm Blvd., where the driver turned left.

After crossing Highway 20 and traveling a couple of blocks to Lake Court, two other shooting victims were dropped off in the street.

One of the victims was dead at the scene; the other was shot in the leg, according to Popwell.

The shootings took place in the Props parking lot and not on Lake Court, Popwell stressed.

The injured victim now is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

A video of the Facebook broadcast is available on the Niceville Police Department’s Facebook page.