INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Two unidentified people were shot and killed Monday afternoon in the Vero Lake Estates community, said Sgt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. The bodies were found near a vehicle riddled with bullets in the roadway, Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said.
“There were bullet holes in the vehicle, broken glass and a variety of money scattered in the roadway,” Flowers said during a news conference Monday afternoon at the crime scene. “The vehicle does not belong in this neighborhood, nor does it belong in this county. We’ve been in touch with our counterparts in another county where this vehicle does belong. They’re assisting us with this investigation now.”
Now, deputies are asking for the public’s help to try and piece together what led to the gunfire.
Sheriff’s officials described the victims as males; their ages and towns of residence were not immediately available. Deputies were still working to gather information on a suspect.
“Our crime scene is here; we’re going to be here for several hours processing this,” Flowers said.
Deputies responded to reports of gunfire about 3 p.m. in the 7700 block of 105th Court, east of Interstate I-95, Jaworski said. Flowers said the quiet, tree-lined area is known for people riding on four-wheelers, and not deadly shootings.
“We received a 911 call from a homeowner near 105th Court. She said she heard a noise, looked out in the driveway, opened the garage door and saw a body lying in her yard,” Flowers said. “At that point she called 911. Our team arrived on scene and located two deceased persons.”
Flowers said one body was found in the yard while the other was located in front of the vehicle. Deputies found sandals and a cellphone near one of the bodies, Flowers said.
It was unclear if deputies found weapons at the crime scene. The vehicle was pulled off on the side of the road in front of a wooded lot, Flowers said.
“Based on our initial real time crime center review of this case, we know this vehicle showed up in our county just after 2:30 p.m. today,” Flowers said. “Most likely it came directly here from I-95. Our team is following up on all leads.”
Sheriff’s officials did not release the county the vehicle is registered in.
From the initial details, Flowers said the shooting could possibly be drug-related.
“There are bills scattered throughout the crime scene. I saw a $100 bill sitting by a sandal. Generally, when we see money and people coming from out of town, often times it is (drug-related),” Flowers said. “I can’t say if it is yet. It’s too early in the investigation to make that assumption.”
Detectives were on scene speaking with witnesses, searching for evidence and canvassing the neighborhood. Flowers said deputies were working to get a search warrant to look inside the vehicle.
“If anybody saw anything, if you have any cameras in this area, if you were in the area about 2:30 p.m. or 3 p.m. today near 105th Court and 79th Street, we’d love to know what you saw,” Flowers said.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
