Clearwater man arrested in fatal May neighborhood shooting, police say

Matt Cohen, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·2 min read

A Clearwater man was arrested Monday in connection with a fatal shooting in May in a Clearwater neighborhood in which a man was shot at least 10 times, according to arrest reports from the Clearwater Police Department.

Raymond Johnson, 27, was selling a pound of marijuana to Michael Hodges, 27, for $2,400 around 5 p.m. on May 2 in the parking lot of O’Keefe’s Tavern at 1219 S Fort Harrison Ave., arrest reports say. However, according to arrest reports, Hodges pulled out a gun to rob Johnson of his marijuana during the deal. As Hodges fled with the stolen pot, Johnson shot his .40-caliber handgun at Hodges and missed, police say.

Later that night, Johnson learned Hodges would be at 801 La Salle St. in Clearwater, so he went to that address to wait for him, police said. Meanwhile, according to a search warrant, Hodges asked a woman he knew to drive him to that address, but she told authorities she didn’t know why he wanted to go to the house.

When Hodges arrived, Johnson was parked nearby, according to the search warrant, and he began shooting at Hodges out of his open driver-side door. Johnson fired 13 times and hit Hodges 10 times, arrest reports said.

Hodges returned fire, striking Johnson and leaving him with injuries that were not life-threatening, according to police and search warrant records.

Police say Hodges was taken to Morton Plant Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Johnson got treatment at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, according to police, and detectives contacted him at the hospital. Police say Johnson’s clothing that night matched a witness’s description of what the shooter had been wearing.

According to arrest reports, police found the same shell casings at O’Keefe’s Tavern and the home where Hodges was killed — linking the shootings to the same gun Johnson was using.

Clearwater police Deputy Chief Michael Walek said Johnson’s phone also was found on the scene of the shooting, and it was a piece of evidence used in the monthslong investigation before officers made the arrest Monday.

Johnson is facing a charge of second-degree murder. He is currently being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bond, according to jail records.

This is a developing story. Stay with tampabay.com for updates.