A 12-year-old child called for help while at least four suspects broke into the home and opened fire on those inside, shooting two victims and threatening the life of a third. The incident happened in the Morningside neighborhood and has resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the search for two others.
“The Port St. Lucie Police Department is utilizing every resource available to us, as we continue to investigate/locate the other suspects involved,” the agency said in a prepared statement. “Police do not believe this was a random act of violence.”
According to the Port St. Lucie Police Department, the home invasion and shooting happened around 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4. Multiple suspects entered the home through a rear patio door and demanded money from the victims.
Two male victims were shot during the robbery. One sustained approximately six gunshot wounds to his upper and lower torso. He remains in an area hospital for treatment. The other was shot in the lower buttocks and was treated and released from the hospital.
The robbers threatened to kill the female victim, but she was ultimately left uninjured, as was the child who called authorities. The ages of the older victims were not released, nor their relationship to the 12-year-old.
The suspects covered their heads and faces with hoodies and masks before entering the home. They stole what police quantified as a “large amount of cash” before fleeing the scene in a white Toyota Camry.
Responding officers spotted the suspect vehicle and pursued it into Fort Pierce, where it was eventually stopped. Four suspects bailed out of the vehicle – two were immediately apprehended while the other two remain at large.
The arrested suspects are Robert Jamall Burnadette, 22, and Collin Levi Woodard, 21. Both face charges that include home invasion robbery with a deadly weapon and two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Woodard faces an additional charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Police found an undisclosed amount of money in the Camry, along with a handgun, black latex gloves and black masks.
No further information was provided given the active nature of the investigation.
Those who have any information relating to the case are encouraged to contact Det. Meyer by calling 772-807-4400 or remain anonymous and call Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273 TIPS.