De-adly Rampage in Panama City: Police Say Gu-nman Sh0t Victim Multiple Times Before Targeting Ex-Girlfriend
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – A Georgia man was killed in Panama City early Saturday morning over what police are calling a domestic dispute.
“Angry with an ex-girlfriend, having a new boyfriend,” Panama City Police Chief Mark Smith said.
Panama City Police responded to a 9-1-1 call around 4 a.m. at a home in the 3700 block of West 21st Street. The call was made by a witness who lives at the residence.
When officers arrived, they found a man inside who had been shot several times and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police identified the victim as 23-year-old Lucas Daughtry of the Thomasville, Georgia area.
A witness identified the suspect as 31-year-old Preston Roulhac of Panama City.
Police say Roulhac used an AK-47 to shoot Daughtry multiple times before attempting to shoot his ex-girlfriend as she escaped.
The witness provided officers with Roulhac’s vehicle information.
“We were able to put that tag into a hotlist, and it showed up on a Flock camera as going north on 390. When that information came in, it was put back out to the law enforcement officers. And that’s when the sheriff’s department discovered the vehicle traveling north on 390,” Smith said.
Bay County sheriff’s deputies attempted a traffic stop, but the suspect kept driving.
That’s when the Lynn Haven Police Department and Florida Highway Patrol also joined the pursuit.
“He failed to negotiate the curves in the road just prior to East Avenue heading eastbound and flipped his car over in a ditch and then fled on foot into a heavily wooded and swampy area there,” Smith said.
After an extensive manhunt, Roulhac was apprehended on Thurso Road in the Mowat Highlands area and taken into custody around 10 am.
Smith highlighted the efficiency and coordination between the different departments.
“We’re able to go over to a common radio channel where everyone can communicate with each other, coordinate off areas, and create the boundaries essentially of containment on the individual. And those proved to be positive when the individual tried to walk his way out of the swamp and walked right out in front of a deputy,” Smith said.
Roulhac is being held at the Bay County Jail without bond.
He is facing charges of fleeing and eluding police, attempted murder, and murder while engaged in burglary. Smith says the burglary charge is standard practice when a suspect unlawfully enters a home.
Smith anticipates more charges to come.
There is a GoFundMe set up for the victim’s funeral and memorial costs. If you’d like to donate, click here.
