{"id":198832,"date":"2026-03-20T06:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T06:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/198832\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T06:57:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T06:57:21","slug":"riviera-beach-murder-suspect-erupts-in-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/198832\/","title":{"rendered":"Riviera Beach murder suspect erupts in court"},"content":{"rendered":"

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Less than 48 hours after police say a shooting in Riviera Beach<\/a> left one man dead, four others wounded, and another person carjacked at gunpoint, the 20-year-old suspect appeared in court and delivered a rambling, disturbing outburst.<\/p>\n

During first appearance Wednesday morning, Tramonte Terrell Gibson repeatedly interrupted the hearing, claimed he was \u201cseeing things,\u201d and made statements that appeared to describe the violence investigators say unfolded Monday night.<\/p>\n

Gibson is accused in a shooting at Azure Estates, along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Riviera Beach, that police say began around 6:15 p.m. Monday and spiraled into a multi-scene rampage.<\/p>\n

Investigators say 25-year-old John Richard Haliburton III \u2014 described by Gibson as his cousin \u2014 was killed. Four other men were shot, and a sixth victim was targeted in a carjacking as Gibson fled.<\/p>\n

In court, Gibson told the judge:<\/p>\n

So my problem is I be seeing things, sir I be fighting things that y\u2019all cannot see.<\/p>\n

He then described what sounded like hallucinations while driving.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was on a highway driving, it\u2019s three cars every time I hit the gas ain\u2019t no cars on the road. It\u2019s just me. It\u2019s three cars that pop up, 1-2-3, and it\u2019s 1-2-3 again,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n

\"During<\/p>\n

During first appearance Wednesday morning, Tramonte Terrell Gibson repeatedly interrupted the hearing, claimed he was \u201cseeing things,\u201d and made statements that appeared to describe the violence investigators say unfolded Monday night. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

At another point, he appeared confused about whether anyone had died.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people that were supposedly killed, they didn\u2019t die. Nobody died, obviously, right?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

But moments later, his statements shifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shot everywhere them people in the head they not making it back. My cousin,\u201d Gibson said.<\/p>\n

He also said:<\/p>\n

I shot every one of them people in the head. They not making it back. My cousin, wasn\u2019t suppose to die. That dude that hit the floor? Oh yeah, he died. A lot of people were shot in the head sir and woke back up right in front of my face.<\/p>\n

Throughout the hearing, Gibson repeatedly spoke over others in the courtroom, including his public defender, while insisting he needed to keep talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need to get this off my heart,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t even need you sir. I\u2019m not even going to lie. I don\u2019t even need you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The judge ordered Gibson held without bond and imposed no-contact orders covering victims, witnesses, and family members of the deceased.<\/p>\n

Police say shooting started at apartment complex, then spread<\/p>\n

According to the newly released probable cause affidavit, the shooting began just after 6:15 p.m. Monday at the Azure Estates apartment complex in Riviera Beach, where ShotSpotter detected about 18 rounds fired.<\/p>\n

Investigators say a group of men were gathered outside when the suspect suddenly pulled out a gun and shot Dillion Wright in the head at point-blank range.<\/p>\n

When John Richard Haliburton III \u2014 who police say was related to the suspect \u2014 tried to intervene, a struggle broke out. Detectives say Haliburton was shot multiple times and killed at the scene.<\/p>\n

Police say the suspect then continued firing as people ran, hitting additional victims throughout the complex.<\/p>\n

Investigators say James Easley was shot multiple times during an attempted carjacking as the suspect tried to flee.<\/p>\n

Two other victims \u2014 Anthony Evans and Charles Daniels \u2014 were also shot and later made their way to a hospital for treatment.<\/p>\n

Authorities say a sixth victim, Rommel Cajina Lira, was not shot, but was forced out of his black Chevrolet Silverado at gunpoint, which the suspect then used to escape.<\/p>\n

\"According<\/p>\n

According to Riviera Beach police, the shooting unfolded around 6:15 p.m. Monday at the complex along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Investigators say a group of people were gathered outside when a fight broke out, escalating into gunfire. Police say five people were shot in total \u2014 including two inside the complex \u2014 and others as the suspect fled and attempted carjackings. (WPEC)<\/p>\n

According to investigators, the suspect fled the scene in that stolen truck and was later located by Florida Highway Patrol along Interstate 95 in Vero Beach, where he was taken into custody.<\/p>\n

See also: Mother identifies victim in Riviera Beach shooting that left 1 dead, 4 injured<\/a><\/p>\n

Prior arrest adds context<\/p>\n

Court records show Gibson was also arrested in May 2024 in West Palm Beach on charges of carjacking without a firearm and resisting an officer without violence.<\/p>\n

That case involved an incident along North Tamarind Avenue, according to arrest paperwork.<\/p>\n

Mother says victim had just become a father<\/p>\n

CBS12 News reporter Katie Bente spoke Tuesday with Haliburton\u2019s mother, Curtisa Brown, who said her 25-year-old son had just become a father to a one-month-old baby girl \u2014 something she says he was incredibly proud of.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was not a thug. And what happened to him was not right,\u201d Brown said. \u201cMy son had a job. He was on vacation. He was supposed to go back to work today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Police have not officially released the name of the person killed in Monday night\u2019s shooting at the Azure Estates apartment complex. But Curtisa Brown told CBS12 News reporter Katie Bente that her son, John Richard Halliburton III, was among those shot and killed. (Courtesy: Curtisa Brown)<\/p>\n

Brown said her son was excited about his future and stepping into fatherhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was so proud so proud to be a father,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Now, she says she\u2019s left grieving a loss she never imagined.<\/p>\n

\u201cLord, he took my baby,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Charges<\/p>\n

Gibson is being held without bond and faces multiple serious felony charges, including murder and attempted murder.<\/p>\n

As the case moves forward, Gibson\u2019s statements in court could draw more attention to questions surrounding his mental state. During the hearing, the judge noted that an attorney could later file motions related to competency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Less than 48 hours after police say a shooting in Riviera Beach left…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":198833,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29],"class_list":["post-198832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}