VERO BEACH — A Fish and Wildlife Officer and K-9 partner have recovered a gun authorities believe burglars had but did not use in the shooting death of a Fiddlewood Road dad last week. Authorities are still searching for a .22-caliber handgun used to kill homeowner 41-year-old Brian Simpson.
Officer Tim Miller’s K-9 alerted to a .25-caliber handgun in the backyard of a vacant and foreclosed home located at 318 Conn Way. The canine is trained specifically to locate firearms, ammunition, and shell casings.
Detectives believe that Henry Jones Jr., 23, and Darius Robinson, 16, had this firearm in their possession during the burglary of the Simpson home, but feel it was not the weapon used to kill
Simpson. Located next to the firearm was a window punch. The punch was not used during the Simpson burglary.
Vero Beach police investigators believe the suspects hid the .25-caliber handgun somewhere on the barrier island after the Simpson burglary and returned Monday to retrieve it.
After retrieving it, detectives believe they saw police vehicles in the area and did not want to be found with the gun in their possession, so they hid it once again, this time at 318 Conn Way.
Additionally, members of the Indian River County Fire Department dive team was called to search a stagnant swimming pool in the backyard of the Conn Way address, but they did not locate any evidence.
Detectives have no reason to believe the vacant home at 318 Conn Way was entered or burglarized.