Suspect arrested in 2014 homicide in Palmetto

The 28-year-old suspect wanted in a 2014 Palmetto homicide was captured and booked into the Manatee County jail on premeditated murder charges on Monday.

Ricardo Garcia turned himself into authorities Monday night, according to Palmetto Police Chief Scott Tyler.

“We’re happy he’s in custody and anxious to move forward to trial,” Tyler said.

Palmetto police on April 7 announced that Garcia was a suspect in the case and the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals were searching for him.

Police say Garcia got into a fight with another man at The Hall nightclub on March 22, 2014. Police say Garcia got into his pickup truck and followed the individual he thought he fought with, but it wasn’t the same person.

Garcia fired several shots into the vehicle of 26-year-old Javare Thomas, striking him in the head. Thomas later died from his injuries.

“As a mother, this will never go away. Ever,” Tonya Thomas said in 2019. “My family suffered very much. Not only my family, the community, his friends. Javare is well-known as a loving person and we will keep our hearts as a family as a whole to uplift his standards.”