UPDATED STORY:
Winter Haven Police have arrested and charged a Lake Wales man in the shooting death of Jimmie Lee Rogers Jr.
26 year-old Julian William Bird is being charged with first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery.
According to police, Bird is currently in the Polk County Jail on first-degree murder charges in the death of a Lake Wales gas station owner in October of this year. Lake Wales detectives charged Bird in the death of Mohammed Allam on December 24.
Based on tips and coordination with the Lake Wales Police Department detectives, Bird was identified as the shooter in Rogers' death.
Subsequent interviews revealed that Bird and two others (yet to be identified) decided they were going to rob Rogers and waited for him at his Ave. J NW apartment complex. When he arrived, Bird confronted Rogers at the driver's side window before Rogers put his vehicle in park. Bird fired into the car striking Rogers causing his foot to come off of the brake and sent the vehicle rolling into the back of an adjacent apartment. Rogers died at the scene.
"Once again, this is evidence of how committed our detectives are and the tremendous cooperation we receive from other agencies in our County to get these dangerous criminals off the street" said Chief Charlie Bird.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Investigators in Winter Haven are reaching out to the public in the hunt for a cold-blooded killer.
Jimmie Lee Rogers Jr. was gunned down outside of his Winter Haven apartment November 18, 2016.
Winter Haven police went out in full force on Monday trying to get information on the case.
"A lot of us are in pain right now," said Lashonda Rogers, Jimmie's sister. "We need to know why they did this. Why they took him from us for no reason."
Detectives and the family are urging anyone with information to come forward.
It's been more than a month now since Jimmie Lee Rogers Jr. was gunned down right outside of his Ave J apartment. Investigators told ABC Action News Rogers was left for dead in his car.
Crime stoppers is offering a reward of $3,000 for information on the case.
