Enterprise murder suspect captured

During a press conference on Thursday, Aug. 17, Enterprise Police Chief T.D. Jones and Dothan SRT Team Commander Capt. Bubba Ott described the events of a raid that led to the capture of an Enterprise murder suspect.

Police captured Jareece Blackmon, 23, of Enterprise, and two other individuals following a Dothan SRT raid at an apartment on the corner of Alberta and Lee Streets.

Jareece Blackmon was charged with murder and later trafficking marijuana.

The other individuals have been identified as Jareece Blackmon's mother, Delicia Sweet, and brother, Jamison Blackmon.

Sweet, 45, of Enterprise, was arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana and failure to appear.

Jamison Blackmon, 26, of Enterprise, was captured during the raid and later released. Jones said police have obtained a warrant for his arrest for trafficking marijuana.

Jareece Blackmon is the suspect in an Aug. 15 shooting that left one man dead.

Around 9 p.m. on Aug. 15, EPD detectives responded to a residence in the 200 Block of Sherwin Street.

Jones said several individuals traveled from Mobile to the residence in Enterprise.

Carl Andre Sewell, 32, of Mobile, was found at the scene, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Jones.

Sewell was transported to Medical Center Enterprise where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Jones said detectives received information around 10 a.m. on Aug. 16 that Jareece Blackmon was located in an apartment near Publix.

"When we got there, we knocked on the door," Jones said. "Someone pulled a blind back, but they never would come to the door. We made repeated efforts to make contact with them and get them to exit the residence to no avail."

Jones said EPD officers secured the building and contacted the U.S. Marshals.

"Once they came and evaluated the situation with the gravity of what had occurred with the subject being shot and murdered with a firearm, (a determination was made) that we would call Dothan Police Department SRT Team," Jones said.

He also said he contacted Enterprise City Schools around the time the Dothan SRT Team made entry to the apartment to place Hillcrest Elementary School on soft lockdown. This means doors were locked and no children were allowed to be outside the building.

"That occurred yesterday from around 12:30 p.m. to 2:09 p.m.," Jones said. "I appreciate their help. The safety of the children is our utmost (priority).

"We felt that the individual, with the law enforcement presence that we had, was not going to leave the building, but we wanted to be sure that the kids were safe."

Ott said the Dothan SRT Team worked "seamlessly" with the EPD and the Coffee County Sheriff's Office to successfully capture Jareece Blackmon.

"When we got here yesterday, they had a great perimeter," Ott said. "There was no chance that the guy was not in the apartment. Their officers were doing exactly what they needed to do, and that makes our jobs a lot easier when we get here."

He said the team used a robot and a tactical K9 unit to clear around 90 percent of the building before making entry.

"Anytime we do a barricaded gunman or any type of high-risk situation, we want to overwhelm the bad guy," he said. "We want to take the fight out of him through manpower and machinery, through diversionary devices.

"Because of the way, we handled the situation with overwhelming force, we took the fight completely out of him, and that makes it safer for us, for him and for any bystanders in the area."

Jareece and Jamison Blackmon and Sweet were removed from the residence around 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

While processing the scene following Jareece Blackmon, EPD detectives found a duffel bag filled with 20 pounds of marijuana and several firearms, according to Jones.

Tom Anderson, district attorney for the 12th Judicial Circuit, said his office and officers are still reviewing evidence, so a decision has not been made regarding an escalation of charges against Jareece Blackmon.

"There are things that are going to be submitted for forensic analysis, whether it be cellphones, whether it be biological specimens taken from items that were collected," he said. "There is a potential for an escalation of charges. We do believe the crux of this matter was the sale of drugs."

Jones thanked the Dothan SRT Team for their assistance in capturing Jareece Blackmon, as well as the U.S. Marshals, the CCSO and the Enterprise Rescue Squad, who helped rehydrate officers following the capture.

Jones said the capture was a success for all organizations involved.

"It was a great day for law enforcement yesterday," he said. "We apprehended a murder suspect, and every officer went home safe."