VERO BEACH, FL - August 3, 2020 - According to an online news report posted on TCPalm.com, a 39-year-old man has been apprehended and arrested by police after a standoff with SWAT in Vero Beach, Florida. The man allegedly was involved in a Vero Beach shooting, which resulted in the man being cornered by local SWAT. The man was then arrested on attempted murder charges. According to the news report, crisis negotiators successfully ended the standoff with SWAT team officers. The SWAT force utilized non-lethal gas to drive the suspect out of a house where the suspect was hiding following the Thursday night shooting.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man from Vero Beach, Florida, was arrested at approximately 3 a.m. on Friday. The suspect has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and attempted first-degree murder.
Prior to the suspect's arrest, Vero Beach police were called to a shooting in progress in the 1200 block of 24th at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Thursday. When the Vero Beach police arrived at the scene of the shooting, they discovered a 29-year-old man who had been shot in his abdomen. The victim was found inside a mobile home located at the Vero Mobile Home Park. According to Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey's press release, the victim stated to law enforcement that the suspect shot him in the stomach because of an argument. The victim was transported to a local hospital with what was reported to be a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the abdomen. According to jail and police records on the suspect, the mobile home park is where the suspect also listed as a physical address.
Police detectives later discovered the suspect escaped to a house in the 4900 block of 65th Street located outside the Vero Beach city limits and to the north. The news report states that the Indian River County Sheriff's Office reported that Sheriff's deputies learned the location of the suspect, and the home had four other adults living at the residence. Fortunately, the Indian River County Sheriff's deputies were successful in evacuating the people inside the home, where the suspect was held up with a firearm. The suspect refused to speak with police and removed his phone's battery. The police positioned special operations officers and Sheriff's deputies around the house from about Midnight until 3 a.m. Police used a loudspeaker to order the man out of the house. The law enforcement officers were certain the suspect was barricaded inside the home and that the suspect was armed and dangerous. Police state that the suspect never exhibited a firearm, and he told police that he did not want to return to prison.
According to a police spokesperson, the officers on the scene gave numerous verbal commands for the suspect to leave the house, but the suspect ignored the orders. The spokesperson also stated that eventually, the SWAT team made their move by using gas inside the home. Eventually, the suspect walked outside and surrendered to law enforcement. The spokesperson stated the SWAT team used a chemical munition, which is one of the agency's "less lethal methods" to extract a suspect who is barricaded in a home. The nature of the gas, its name, or how the gas was delivered into the home was not provided by law enforcement. The press release from law enforcement said that the investigators found a pistol inside the home, and the gun matches the description of the pistol used in the near-fatal shooting.