Police identify person of interest in the Florida Martin Luther King Jr. Day shooting that left mother dead
Police have identified a person of interest in the shooting during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Florida that left a young mother dead, authorities said Wednesday.
Detectives with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office identified 27-year-old Frederick Lamar Johnson, Jr. as a person of interest in the shooting at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in Fort Pierce, Florida, on Monday that left one person dead, seven shot and four others injured.
ILOUS ELLIS PARK SHOOTING UPDATE Chief Deputy Brian Hester provided an update at a press conference this morning on the shooting incident that occurred on Monday afternoon at Ilous Ellis Park in Fort Pierce that left one person dead, seven shot, and four others injured. According to Chief Deputy Brian Hester, detectives have identified the deceased victim as 29-year-old Nikkitia Bryant of Fort Pierce. "Out of the other 7 victims who were shot, two remain in the hospital, and they're in stable condition," said Chief Deputy Brian Hester. "The others have all been released." According to Chief Deputy Brian Hester, detectives initially believed that the shooting was the result of a dispute between two rival gangs; however, they no longer believe this is the case. Detectives now believe that the dispute may have also involved individuals who are not affiliated with any gangs. Detectives have identified 27-year-old Frederick Lamar Johnson, Jr. as a person of interest. Johnson is wanted on a felony warrant for violation of probation, which stemmed from drug-related charges. According to Chief Deputy Brian Hester, detectives believe Johnson was present during the incident, and he is wanted for questioning. We ask anyone who was present at the event, whether they witnessed the incident or not, to contact detectives at 772-462-3230.
Posted by St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday, January 18, 2023
According to Chief Deputy Brian Hester, detectives believe Johnson was present during the incident and he is wanted for questioning. Johnson is also wanted on a felony warrant for violation of probation, which stemmed from drug-related charges, Hester told reporters on Wednesday.
Hester also identified the dead victim as 29-year-old Nikkitia Bryant of Fort Pierce. Bryant was with her 6-year-old daughter on Monday when shots rang out, police said.
Detectives no longer believe that the shooting was a result of a dispute between two rival gangs, Hester said, but instead involved individuals who are affiliated with gangs.
"We don't believe that this was two rival gangs that showed up on the grounds of this event and decided to go at each other," he said.
In total, eight people were shot and four were injured attempting to flee the scene, police said.
"Out of the other seven victims who were shot, two remain in the hospital, and they're in stable condition," Hester said Wednesday. "The others have all been released."
No arrests have been made as the sheriff's office collaborates with local, state and federal agencies to investigate the shooting, Hester said.
Investigators found more than 50 shell casings from three different calibers of weapons at the scene, Hester said.
Authorities asked anyone with any information to contact a local hotline and warned anyone against protecting anyone involved in the shooting.