A late-night shooting in northeast Ocala left 24-year-old Derrick Brown Jr. dead on June 23, 2024. Officers responded to the 2800 block of NE 8th Terrace around 11:25 p.m. and found Brown with a gunshot wound; he was taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Law enforcement identified him and is treating the death as a homicide.

Family and friends have been posting on social media, calling him DJ and offering condolences to his mother, Tamara Gunsby, his father, Derrick Brown, Sr., and other relatives including his aunt Rashunda Grimsley, who described the family as devastated. The Ocala Police Department has released no additional details about the shooting or any suspects and says no arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Ocala Police Department at 352-369-7000 or Crime Stoppers of Marion County anonymously at 352-368-STOP (7867); a cash reward of up to $3,000 is available for tips that lead to an arrest. Did anyone in the community see or hear anything that night?