By the next morning, the question wasn’t who had done it. That part was already answered. The question now was why.
And the answer began hours before the shooting—inside a place where tempers had already begun to rise.
The Argument
Garvin Hoots and Eddie Johnson knew each other. Not as friends, though. They were men connected by business—and conflict. Hoots had been involved in a liquor establishment on South Tarragona Street. Johnson had some connection to it as well. What that connection was depended on who was telling the story.
What is clear is this: Something had gone wrong recently. That night, Hoots came into the establishment. Words were exchanged, and it wasn’t quiet. Witnesses described a heated confrontation. At one point, Hoots reportedly tore licenses from the wall. There was a reason behind it, though. It was more than anger…more like a challenge, and that is how Johnson took it.
The Moment That Changed Everything
That seemed to end it, or at least it appeared to. Even with tempers up, the men separated. The people who had seen and heard it shrugged their shoulders and returned to what they were doing.
But not everything that ends… is over. Johnson left, but something hung…
The Decision
He didn’t wander. He didn’t cool off. He didn’t “get over” it. According to statements later given to police, Johnson went home. He stewed. It got worse. And he armed himself.
That is the moment this story changes. Because when a man leaves, retrieves a weapon, and comes back…it is no longer simply “a moment,” It is a decision.
The Return
Later that night, Garvin Hoots stood on Intendencia Street near Palafox – nothing unusual, he had been here many times before. There is no indication he expected what was coming.
As he was standing on the side of the street, Johnson found him. He walked up to Garvin. This time, there was no arguing. There was no fighting. And, there was no warning.
Witnesses later said they saw a man approach Garvin… raise a gun…and fire…five times.
The Meaning Behind the Words
After his arrest, Johnson did not deny what he had done.
Instead, he gave a statement that would echo beyond the case:
“I don’t like rats.”
In context, that phrase carried weight. The reference to “rat” didn’t suggest the varmint – it suggested betrayal. It suggested someone who talked. Someone who cooperated.
Whether that was true was not known. What was important was the belief was “true” mattered less than this: Johnson believed it. And that belief was enough.
From Street to Courtroom
It was straight-forward. Garvin Hoots was dead…Eddie Johnson was in jail. There would be no need to search for a suspect. There was no mystery to solve.
What remained was the courtroom…
Continue the Story…Part 3 “Judgment and Mercy”
Michael Earl Simmons is a retired Pensacola Police Sergeant, former homicide detective, and recognized historian of crime in Northwest Florida. He is the creator of Sweet Tea Murders, where Southern history meets the darker side of human nature.