Arrest made in Fort Myers gas station killing

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Fort Myers man is in custody after a murder that left the body of a longtime rival behind an unfinished gas station on U.S. 41.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 22-year-old Devontae Harris, who they say had a longstanding feud with the victim, 25-year-old Willie James Moore Jr.

Harris, a convicted felon, faces second-degree murder and weapons charges stemming from the Aug. 26 killing at the Racetrac under construction at 4551 S. Cleveland Ave.

The sheriff’s office traced a cellphone left at the scene to Harris and said a gun found in his car was used to commit the crime.

Harris and Moore had been staying at the neighboring Travelodge hotel several doors down from one another, and an altercation broke out when they passed each other in a hallway, a sheriff’s office investigation revealed. Harris broke free and retrieved a semi-automatic firearm, according to the sheriff’s office.

Moore made a failed attempt to commandeer a vehicle from two women as he tried to get away from Harris, the sheriff’s office said. Moore then ran behind the gas station where his body was eventually found.