A Florida mom just wanted to celebrate her birthday with her family. She never thought she’d wind up dead. The Panama City Police Department received a phone call about a shooting on Highway 231 and Harrison Avenue just after 4 p.m. February 22, 2025. Good Samaritans tried to help while they waited for the police. When the emergency crew arrived, they found Georgeann Garner, 48, and Mariliegh Lewis, 19, with gunshot wounds. Tragically, Garner succumbed to her wounds at a hospital a short time later. Her daughter remains in critical condition.
A patrol officer nearby reportedly heard the shooting and followed the suspect’s truck, according to a press release from the Panama City Police Department. Police identified the driver as 21-year-old Ivybella Encino and the passenger as Jubal Simmons, 23. They allegedly did not cooperate with police.
More from CafeMom: Man Reportedly Slams Single Mother to the Ground, Breaking Her Bones in Road Rage Incident
“Due to Encino’s dangerous behavior and the severity of the shooting, officers attempted to block the vehicle to prevent further harm. Encino then rammed a PCPD patrol unit, disabling both vehicles,” the release stated. “She was taken into custody without further incident. Meanwhile, her passenger, 23-year-old Jubal Simmons, fled on foot but was apprehended a short distance away.”
Police explained that Garner and Lewis had no prior relationship with Encino or Simmons. An argument began between the occupants of both vehicles and apparently became physical. “As Encino drove past Garner’s vehicle, Simmons fired approximately 11 rounds at its occupants, striking Garner and Lewis in the chest and hitting an uninvolved vehicle,” police reported.
More from CafeMom: Mom Dead & Toddler Injured in What Police Call a ‘Classic Case’ of Road Rage
Officers arrested Encino and Simmons, and they each face multiple charges. Prosecutors charged Encino with accessory to murder, aggravated battery of law enforcement, aggravated fleeing, and driving without a license, according to the police release. Simmons faces a murder charge, three charges of attempted murder, charges of firing at an occupied vehicle, discharging a firearm at a vehicle, resisting officers, and tampering with evidence.
Garner’s friend Sandra Pearson created a GoFundMe account in her honor. “The world was robbed of her beauty on her birthday. Georgeann was out celebrating being 48 with her family,” she wrote. “One minute, she was out celebrating at a Mardi Gras parade in Panama City beach and the next minute her life was taken needlessly by an act of violence that was senseless and selfish.”
The shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information should call the Panama City Police Department at 850-872-3100. Tipsters can submit tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 850-785-TIPS (8477).
