The Ocala community is grieving following the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Ja’Narre Suggs early Christmas morning in west Ocala, police confirmed.
According to the Ocala Police Department, officers were dispatched at approximately 4:11 a.m. on Dec. 25 after receiving reports of a shooting in the 800 block of West Silver Springs Place, near the intersection of West Silver Springs Boulevard and Southwest Ninth Avenue.
When officers arrived, they found Suggs lying in the roadway with at least one gunshot wound. Officers and Ocala Fire Rescue personnel immediately attempted life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators secured the area with crime scene tape and spent several hours documenting evidence, photographing the scene, and gathering information. By noon on Christmas Day, detectives had completed on-scene processing and began conducting interviews as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police said it is not yet known why Suggs was in the area at the time of the shooting. No suspect information has been released, and investigators have not identified a motive.
If the case is ultimately ruled a homicide, it would be the first murder within Ocala city limits since 2024. Police noted that officers previously responded to the Nov. 22 shooting death of 28-year-old Cristian Oleski Contreras Leiva of Ocala; however, that case remains under investigation and has not been officially classified as a homicide.
Detectives are asking anyone with information related to the Christmas Day shooting to come forward. Tips can be provided to Detective Quintero at (352) 369-7000, to Crime Stoppers at (352) 368-STOP or **TIPS, or anonymously online at OcalaCrimeStoppers.com.
As the investigation continues, family members, friends, and loved ones are left mourning the sudden and tragic loss of Ja’Narre Suggs, whose life ended on a day meant for peace and celebration.