LAKE WALES, Fla. — Two men were killed in separate shootings that happened hours apart in Lake Wales on Sunday evening, according to authorities.

Lake Wales Police Department and Polk County Sheriff’s Office detectives are investigating the two shootings that happened in the Lake Wales Housing Authority Grove Manor complex.

Officials said the first shooting happened at around 8 p.m. at 303 N. First Street Apartment B. Witnesses reported that they found 23-year-old Rhasaan Marquese Johnson inside the apartment suffering from gunshot wounds. Johnson was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The witnesses told officers that when they entered the apartment they saw Kendrick J. Akins, who left the area shortly after they arrived.

Detectives started searching for Akins as a person of interest, and at around 11:45 p.m., they received a tip that he was walking near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Sessoms Avenue, officials stated.

As they began looking for him, detectives heard multiple gunshots and ran toward the shooting, where they found Akins laying on the sidewalk with multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. Akins died from his injures despite officer’s attempts to render aid, authorities said.

Officials said that Akins and Johnson were both from Lake Wales and knew each other, and there is no known motive for the first homicide, but the second appears to be retaliatory.

There is a $3,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect in the second homicide.

Anyone who has information on the shootings can contact the Lake Wales Police Department at 863-678-4223. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward through Heartland Crime Stoppers, call 1-800-226-TIPS (8477). You can also dial **TIPS on your cell phone or visit the website www.heartlandcrimestoppers.com and click on “Submit a Tip” or download the free “P3tips” app on your smartphone or tablet to submit a tip.