A man who was wanted for over three years in connection with a deadly shooting outside a Plant City liquor store was arrested this week, deputies said.
Oscar Juan Molina, 48, fled to Mexico after the shooting at Twilight Zone Liquor and remained out of the country, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. After learning he had returned to Hillsborough County, deputies arrested him Wednesday.
Deputies say Molina opened fire April 13, 2022, after a fight at the liquor store at 4010 State Road 60 E. Deputies previously said the fight started at the business’s bar area and continued into the parking lot about 10 p.m.
A deputy responding to an unrelated call nearby heard the gunshot and came to the bar’s parking lot.
The deputy arrived in time to see a car leave and then crash just over the Hillsborough-Polk County line. The male driver had a gunshot wound and was taken to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
A second man was found in a field next to the bar, deputies said. He was taken to South Florida Baptist Hospital in Plant City, where he died.
In addition to first-degree murder, Molina faces charges of attempted first-degree murder and felonious possession of a firearm. He also faces drug charges out of Polk County.
Records show he was being held Thursday at the Orient Road Jail without bond.
The sheriff’s office has not released the names of the people who were shot. An arrest affidavit with more information was not immediately available Thursday.
“This arrest brings long-awaited closure to the victim’s family and sends a clear message: we never stop seeking justice,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
