VERO BEACH — They stood as many as 10-deep in a standing-room-only church, drawn together to find support out of chaos that an island homicide just days ago created. About 500 people attended services at Community Church of Vero Beach Monday evening, to pay respects to Brian Simpson.
They listened intently as Dr. Robert Taylor Baggott opened the service at the church by asking that community pray that police capture in the person or persons who shot Simpson on Thursday during an apparent burglary at his Fiddlewood home.
And just when it seemed that it was OK to cry, Simpson’s teenage children stepped up to the microphone and lovingly poked fun at their dad.
For the next 1 hour and 45 minutes, the church developed the air of a comedy club as stories spilled out about a larger-than-life man who lived for the moment and constantly had a smile across his broad face.
Simpson, friends and family said, took the notion of not sweating the small stuff to the extreme, which at times meant forgetting to check the gas gauge on the boat before heading out.
Even as a father figure, he couldn’t get rattled, said his daughter, Sammy, who shared a story about her dad leaning out of a car door and calling for a wild turkey.
And when that didn’t get the bird’s attention, he gave chase, she said.
Her dad, she said, as one of a kind.
Many echoed those words and there were pictures to prove it.
In between the laugh-out-loud stories, many who stood before the church to speak looked over at Simpson’s wife of nearly 19 years, Kristen Judge Simpson, as well his daughter and son, Scotty, and assured them that they were loved.
A fund for the Simpson children has been set up at that law firm of Gould, Cooksey, Fennel, 979 Beachland Blvd.
Just three hours before the service, police in Vero released composite sketches of two men who witnesses described as being in the area of Simpon’s Fiddlewood home about the time he was gunned down.
Earlier Monday police brought two men in for questioning who were spotted in the Central Beach area. During a press briefing Monday, police did not discuss if there may be a connection between the men they are looking for and the two men who were detained for questioning.
As for the persons of interest, one was described as a thin black male in his early to mid 20s. He is about 5 feet 9 inches to 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs roughly 150 pounds. He has long dreadlocks that were tied in a knot at the of his head. He was wearing a black T-shirt and long black shorts.
The other subject was described as a black male having an athletic build, also in his early to mid 20s. He is about 5 feet 9 to 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs roughly 165 pounds. He was described as either bald or with short cropped hair. He too was wearing a black T-shirt and long black shorts.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Vero Beach Police Department at (772) 978-4600 or 911. There is a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the Simpson case.
