A grand jury has handed down a formal indictment for a murder charge for a deadly shooting outside a Kissimmee hookah bar exactly one year ago.
The Osceola County grand jury formally indicted Christopher Garrett, 31, for first degree murder with a firearm in the death of Joshua Mitchell at the Lungo Lounge on Vineland Road on Nov. 14, 2023.
According to the State Attorney’s Office, Garrett was located in Ohio, where law enforcement took him into custody. He was extradited back to Osceola County earlier this year.
According to a police arrest warrant, the victim was shot as a number of people were drinking outside of the hookah lounge in the early morning hours. An investigation revealed that during Garrett’s attempt to sell a gun, another man, Joshua Franceschi, 29, first struck Mitchell, staggering him, before Garrett shot him from “a position of advantage.” Garrett and Franceschi reportedly fled the scene in a grey SUV.
Mitchell collapsed from the gunshot wound a short time later. Medical personnel transported him to a local hospital but he died about two hours after arriving.
Through an investigation, Osceola County detectives determined Garrett was the prime suspect. Detectives issued a warrant for his arrest. Franceschi was also arrested as part of the incident and sentenced to 12 months in jail for misdemeanor battery. A plea deal included his testimony against Mitchell in the case.
Garrett was arrested in Osceola County in 2020 on a felony weapons charge.
