RIVIERA BEACH — An angry boyfriend was behind Tuesday’s deadly shooting outside of a hotel on Singer Island, police said.
Lawrence Antonio Mitchell, 43, is being held in the Palm Beach County Jail without bail on a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm after his arrest Friday, three days after the shooting that left 28-year-old Troy Nichols dead.
Riviera Beach Police responded to the Seaside Bar and Grill, located in the same building as the Sands Hotel, at about 11 p.m. Tuesday. They found an empty .45-caliber cartridge near Nichols’ body in the parking lot, according to the arrest report.
A witness said Nichols tried to buy Mitchell’s girlfriend a drink, angering him and setting off an argument. Mitchell’s girlfriend later confirmed to police that a man “approached her and asked what she drinking.” The argument spilled into the parking lot and a second witness, who tried to calm the men down, saw Mitchell pull a handgun from his waistband before cocking it and firing it in Nichols’ direction, the police report continues.
A third witness told police the men were arguing because Nichols had talked to Mitchell’s girlfriend, and the witness reportedly heard a gunshot after seeing Mitchell pull out the handgun. A fourth witness, who was inside the Sands Hotel, walked outside after hearing the gunshot. The police report said that witness saw Mitchell holding a handgun in his right hand as he walked toward the Ocean Mall parking lot.
And all of the witnesses, police said, identified Mitchell in a collection of photos provided by investigators.
“Those that commit violent crimes in our city will be held accountable,” said Joshua Lewis, the interim police chief. “We will use all resources and investigative means necessary to make an arrest.”
Giuseppe Sabella is a reporter at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at gsabella@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera Beach Police arrest suspect in Singer Island hotel shooting
