INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A man who authorities said left a Fort Pierce residence where his elderly parents were found fatally shot, was captured in Indian River County on Tuesday afternoon. The couple was in their 80s, officials said.
“This is an isolated incident with no threat to the public,” Fort Pierce police officials said in a statement. “This investigation is active and ongoing.”
Fort Pierce police described the man as a person of interest. Neither the man’s name, nor his parents’ names, were immediately released.
“Today, our deputies received a be-on-the-lookout alert for a double homicide suspect wanted out of St. Lucie County,” said Lt. Kevin Jaworski, a spokesperson for the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office. “Dispatch immediately disseminated the information, and our Real Time Crime Center quickly used the license plate recognition cameras to locate the vehicle as it entered Indian River County.”
Fort Pierce police responded to a welfare check about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the parents’ residence at the Harbour Isle at Hutchinson Island condominium complex, east of U.S. 1 and west of the Jetty Park. A family member who requested the welfare check told officers that the parents had missed an appointment.
Officers found the bodies of the couple in the living room area. The pair had multiple gunshot wounds, Fort Pierce police said.
The adult son left the residence before police arrived. Fort Pierce police issued a BOLO (be-on-the-lookout) alert for the son’s vehicle.
Indian River County sheriff’s deputies spotted the vehicle headed westbound along Oslo Road. A deputy performed a PIT maneuver – a technique where a patrol car taps the rear of a fleeing vehicle and causes it to spin to a stop.
Deputies detained the man and took him to the sheriff’s Criminal Investigations Division.
“We will continue to work closely with Fort Pierce Police Department detectives and provide any assistance needed to ensure the suspect faces justice,” Jaworski said.
Anyone with more information on the double homicide should contact the Fort Pierce Police Department at 772-467-6800 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-277-8477.
