"Person of Interest" named in deadly MLK Day shooting in Fort Pierce
FORT LAUDERDALE - A person of interest has been named in shooting at a Fort Pierce park on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in which a woman died and seven other people were injured.
On Wednesday, St. Lucie Co. Chief Deputy Sheriff Brian Hester said they were looking for 27-year-old Frederick Lamar Johnson, Jr.
Johnson is wanted on a felony warrant for violation of probation, which stemmed from drug-related charges. According to Hester, detectives believe Johnson was present during the incident, and he is wanted for questioning.
Hester also said initially detectives believed that the shooting was the result of a dispute between two rival gangs, however, they no longer believe this is the case.
Nikkitia Bryant, 29, was one of eight people hit by gunfire at a car show and a block party celebrating the holiday at Ilous Ellis Park. Bryant was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but did not survive. She was at the event with her 6-year-old daughter when the shooting occurred.
"Out of the other 7 victims who were shot, two remain in the hospital, and they're in stable condition," said Hester. "The others have all been released."
Four other people, including a child, were hurt trying to escape the gunfire.
In a video taken by a witness, attendees are seen dancing by their cars and enjoying the music when what sounds like gunfire begins to resonate over the song. People in the crowd start to rush away from the noise, some ducking behind cars or grabbing children's hands and running across the street.
Two sheriff's deputies who were stationed in the park ran toward the scene and provided aid to those injured, Hester said. Several witnesses also helped to render aid and drive people to the hospital, he added.
The incident marks the 30th mass shooting in the country this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Like CNN, the non-profit defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, not including the shooter. So far this year, the US is averaging about two mass shootings per day.
