Sunday Gunplay Lands Convicted Felon Back in Jail

A convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history was sent back behind bars after Sarasota police say she fired off a gun Sunday evening behind Moore’s Grocery.

According to the Sarasota Police Department, the incident unfolded around 9:30 p.m. when two officers were on patrol in the area. The officers spotted a large crowd gathered in the parking lot behind the 1993 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way grocery store.

As the officers went to investigate, they heard a single gunshot and watched as the woman with the gun ran away. Police told her to stop, an email to media said, but she didn’t listen.

The woman continued to run and was seen throwing the gun into a residential lot at 2727 N. Washington Court.

When police caught up with her, they found her in possession of a bag of marijuana. The 9mm Hi-Point semiautomatic pistol was retrieved from the lot.

As it turns out, the woman, Chanee Williams, 24, has a lengthy criminal history. She’s been arrested on 10 felony charges in the past and has faced four convictions, the police department’s email stated.

Williams now faces several more charges: felon in possession of a firearm, firing a weapon in public, resisting an officer without violence and possession of marijuana.

Officers checked with local hospitals Sunday night and Monday morning to make sure no suspicious injuries had been reported. As of Monday morning, none had.

Williams has since bonded out of the Sarasota County Jail. She was also arrested Dec. 5 on possession of cocaine and marijuana charges, jail records indicate.

Photos courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department