Woman shot while sitting in living room, St. Petersburg police searching for man wanted for attempted murder

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg Police are asking for the public’s help finding a man who officers say was involved in an exchange of gunfire and one of the bullets hit a woman sitting on her couch inside her home. 

Police are looking for 26-year-old Jacarius Courouthers. Officers arrested 18-year-old Daemond Murray on Friday. 

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According to SPPD, Murray and Courouthers had an argument with a group, then both fired shots at them on Dec. 23 around 6:15 p.m. near the 1700 block of Preston Street South.

"They kind of waited and ambushed a group that came by," Yolanda Fernandez, a spokesperson for the St. Petersburg Police Department, said.  "They fired at this group that was going by, and they had some kind of a beef or argument with them, and it resulted in them exchanging gunfire. But, again, everyone ran away, and this poor woman who is completely uninvolved and had nothing to do with their dispute in her own home on the couch is the one who ends up with an injury," Fernandez said. 

Fernandez said the woman was shot in her leg and has non-life-threatening injuries. She said they don't believe the incident was gang-related. 

"It’s important for us to be able to find him. We have to make sure that people know that this is not okay. You don't settle arguments and disputes by shooting each other. There just have to be other ways that you can do that. And then all of the people who live in that neighborhood who are trying to go about their lives peacefully, you know, hopefully it'll offer them some reassurance that we can make an arrest here," Fernandez said. 

Delmeco Johnson is one of those neighbors. She said over the past few months, the gun violence in the neighborhood has gotten worse.

"The shooting happens quite often over here, but this time it was even scarier because it was actually right at our front door, and actually, my neighbor was injured," Johnson said.  

Johnson said the violence has caused her to think about moving. 

"It’s very scary, but I pray and I know that God is going to always protect us just as He has our neighbor. So, just hopefully things, you know, turn out better and it’s really bad for both sides because it’s bad that she got hit and it's bad that if a young person gets convicted, they're going to lose their life also. So, just hopefully the crime stops and we're just able to go back to normal and live our best lives," Johnson said. 

Courouthers and Murray are both facing charges of attempted felony murder and felons in possession of firearms. 

Police ask anyone with information about the incident or Courouthers’s whereabouts to please call St. Petersburg Police at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD + your tip to TIP411. You can remain anonymous.