FELLSMERE — A man was arrested and faces multiple felony charges after he allegedly fired shots into a residence.
Wednesday, around 5:40 a.m., officers responded to 1034 Grant Ave. in Fellsmere to investigate the report of a shooting, according to authorities.
Officers located the victim who told them that a man known to her as “Zoe” just shot a gun at her residence while she was inside her bedroom, according to police. The victim said she knew it was “Zoe” because she saw him ride in front of her house on a bicycle and said “hey” to him through the window. She then bent down to pick up an article of clothing from the floor and, while doing so, heard several “pop” sounds coming from his location.
The firearm used was reported stolen to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office in 2014, according to Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry.
The victim said she thought “Zoe” had thrown fireworks at her window and went outside to investigate, at which time she saw “Zoe” peddling his bicycle away in the dark.
While outside, the victim noticed several shell casings on the road in front of her home and realized the noises she heard were not fireworks but gunshots, so she called 911 to report the incident.
Officers canvassed the area and through witness interviews determined that “Zoe” was a Haitian male who was a day laborer and could possibly be located at his place of employment on S. Pine Street in Fellsmere, according to authorities. They were provided with his description and told that he wore his hair “tied up in to three poofs.”
A person matching the clothing and hair description was found and detained without incident, according to police. He was identified as Jean Yves Toussaint, of 1004 Lincoln St., a residence located approximately one block to the west of the victim’s home.
Toussaint was interviewed and allegedly confessed to officers that he fired a gun at the victim’s home. He said he shot at the house because there have been several women “trespassing” at his home where he lives with other day laborers, according to authorities. He referred to the women as “basers,” a slang term for drug addicts, and said he was tired of them “disrespecting him” by coming to his home and destroying his and his roommate’s property.
He cited a recent example in which one of the “basers” “cut up” a pair of boots and a belt that belonged to one of his roommates, and admitted to shooting in to the home to “scare them into not disrespecting him anymore.”
During a search of Toussaint and his backpack, officers located a smaller green cloth bag containing a .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a six-round capacity magazine inserted, according to police. An inspection of the firearm revealed it to be loaded with one round in the chamber and one round in the magazine. Ten additional rounds of ammunition were found in an ammunition box also contained in the green cloth bag.
A check of Toussaint’s criminal history revealed him to be a convicted felon.
Officers also located under 20 grams of marijuana contained in one of the backpack’s outer pouches.
An Indian River County Sheriff’s Crime Scene unit processed the scene. During that process, four .380 shell casings were located on the street in front of the victim’s home and the gunshot evidence to the home was located, photographed and collected. It was noted that one round traveled through the bedroom window where the victim stood and greeted Toussaint just prior to bending down to pick up the article of clothing. That round was collected from a wall inside the home.
Toussaint faces charges of felony aggravated assault, felony shooting a deadly missile into an occupied dwelling, felony possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon, misdemeanor discharging a firearm in public, and possession of under 20 grams of marijuana according to police.
Toussaint is being held at the Indian River County Jail on $43,000 bond.
