He shot a man after a fight over drugs. Now he will spend life in prison

Diandrew Clarkson, 22, of Tampa, was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Thomas Krug Wednesday for the September 2015 murder of 44-year-old Daniel Ortiz, the Sarasota Police Department announced Wednesday afternoon. Clarkson was convicted of the second-degree murder charge in February, court records show.

On Sept. 28, 2015, Sarasota police officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 1500 block of 25th Street, according to police. Ortiz’s vehicle was found crashed into a tree. Ortiz was unresponsive in the driver’s seat with a gunshot to his upper torso, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Medics took Ortiz to Sarasota Memorial Hospital where he later died.

Witnesses told detectives that Clarkson and Ortiz were fighting over selling drugs, according to police. One witness said they saw Clarkson fire one round into Ortiz’s vehicle as Ortiz tried to drive away and later crashed, the affidavit stated.

“The outcome on this case is a result of hard work, dedication and partnership between the Sarasota Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office,” said Detective Anthony DeFrancisco, one of the detectives who worked on the case.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 4:52 PM with the headline "He shot a man after a fight over drugs. Now he will spend life in prison."