“Senselessly gone”: Sanford police identify 2 people killed in shooting at apartment complex

SANFORD, Fla. — Two people, including a teenager, were killed in a shooting at a Sanford apartment complex Wednesday afternoon.

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Sanford police say the shooting stemmed from a drug deal.

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They identified the two victims Thursday as 16-year-old Darius Moore of Sanford and 21-year-old Willie Baker of Orlando.

“As a parent, it hits me hard to see young men…young black men especially, whose lives were taken who could have done great things in this community, but now they are senselessly gone,” Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith said.

Police responded to multiple 911 calls from the Overlook at Monroe Apartments on Willner Circle Wednesday afternoon reporting a shooting.

Police arrived to find the two victims with gunshot wounds and attempted to treat them on the scene, but they both died later at the hospital.

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A lone person of interest in the case has been arrested on related drug charges.

21-year-old Ernst Baptiste saw a judge Thursday afternoon after he was arrested near the scene for drug possession..

According to his arrest report, police say Baptiste matched the description of a person seen running away from the shooting scene.

Police say Baptiste admitted to buying the drugs he had on him where the shooting had just occurred, but his involvement in the homicides is still under investigation.

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In court Thursday, prosecutors described Baptiste as a convicted felon who’s also facing charges related to a fentanyl arrest last year involving a gun.

Investigators say they’re still looking for other people who may have been involved.

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