logo
Arrests made after 2024 fatal shooting in Fort Pierce

Arrests made after 2024 fatal shooting in Fort Pierce

Yahooa day ago

FORT PIERCE – Police on June 5 announced two arrests in a 2024 shooting case that left an 18-year-old man dead, records state.
Slain in the March 16, 2024, incident just east of North 23rd Street and Avenue C was Jackson Romanello, Fort Pierce Police stated.
Over the past year, investigators determined David Harris III, 19, of Fort Pierce, shot Romanello during a drug transaction initiated by Romanello and Jerimah Nelson, 21, who was arrested June 3 in Flagler County on a variety of mainly drug charges.
Police found Romanello in the driver's seat of a Honda Pilot with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The Honda was just south of an apartment building where investigators said Harris lives.
Police Maj. Eric Chan on June 5 said two individuals contacted police shortly after the shooting and said they were in the vehicle with Romanello at the time.
'Detectives interviewed them and from them they developed leads which they had to follow through on, which led to the identification of these two individuals (Nelson and Harris).'
According to records, investigators determined Romanello and Nelson exchanged text messages for several weeks before the shooting regarding Nelson buying marijuana and Adderall pills from Romanello, who was living in Fort Myers.
Chan said the two people in the Honda with Romanello didn't know Harris and Nelson.
'They painted a picture of what was going on so that we could follow up,' he said.
Chan said the investigation took more than a year.
'We wanted to make sure that we corroborated any statements and/or other leads that we got,' Chan said. 'We did search warrants and subpoenas to gather information that required analyzing.'
He said Nelson moved to Palm Coast.
Chan said it was 'a robbery gone bad by David Harris.'
According to statements in records, Harris put a gun to the left side of Romanello's head and told him not to move or he would be shot. Romanello put the Honda in gear and Harris fired a single shot.
Police found a 9mm cartridge casing at the scene.
Where was the father?: Preliminary autopsy of boy who officials said died by mom's hand doesn't contradict mom's account
'Vigorous neighborhood canvass': Police said man entered home, photographed woman after she exited shower
Chan said after police identified Harris as a possible shooter, he was arrested in June 2024 on unrelated charges, including possession of a firearm by a felon. He's been in the St. Lucie County Jail since then, Chan said.
'We got him off the streets as fast as we could identify him,' Chan said.
Chan said Harris was arrested on a murder charge June 4 regarding the Romanello death.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Two arrests after fatal shooting in Fort Pierce

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Lowell man pleads guilty to selling guns, machineguns and fake Adderall pills laced with meth, officials say
Lowell man pleads guilty to selling guns, machineguns and fake Adderall pills laced with meth, officials say

Boston Globe

time2 hours ago

  • Boston Globe

Lowell man pleads guilty to selling guns, machineguns and fake Adderall pills laced with meth, officials say

Laboratory testing confirmed that the 'Adderall' pills Chan sold were homemade methamphetamine pills mixed with caffeine and made to look like the real pharmaceutical drug, prosecutors said. Chan trafficked the counterfeit pills with an alleged co-conspirator who was a member of the Asian Boyz gang, a group distributing methamphetamine across the Merrimack Valley region, prosecutors said. Advertisement In February, a 39-year-old man who was a member of the Asian Boyz gang was Related : Chan was allegedly recorded saying that he could make devices called 'switches,' which can be installed on pistols to make them fully automatic, prosecutors said. 'I let my boys test the switch,' Chan allegedly said in a message to a police source. Chan also allegedly sent videos showing how to install the 'switches' and a video of a person using the switch to shoot a fully automatic handgun into the air. The investigation was a collaboration of local and federal law enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case. Advertisement 'This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone,' a joint statement from Foley's Office, the Boston Division FBI, and Lowell Police Department said. Sarah Mesdjian can be reached at

Lowell man pleads guilty to trafficking guns, drugs, machinegun conversion devices
Lowell man pleads guilty to trafficking guns, drugs, machinegun conversion devices

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Lowell man pleads guilty to trafficking guns, drugs, machinegun conversion devices

A Lowell man has pleaded guilty to multiple federal crimes after he was recorded illegally selling numerous guns, thousands of methamphetamine pills and machineguns, the U.S. Attorney said. Billy Chan, a/k/a 'Juju,' 20, pleaded guilty on Friday to one count each of engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license, conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams and more of methamphetamine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and transfer and possession of a machinegun, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement on Monday. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for Sept. 17. On five different dates in Lowell between March 2023 and June 2023, Chan sold three handguns, four machinegun conversion devices and approximately 2,000 pills marketed as 'Adderall,' to undercover law enforcement, prosecutors said. Laboratory testing confirmed that the 'Adderall' pills were homemade methamphetamine pills pressed with caffeine and designed to look like the genuine pharmaceutical product. Chan trafficked the counterfeit pills with another person who was a member of the Asian Boyz gang, prosecutors said. An investigation found that in 2023, Asian Boyz gang members and associates had access to 'a plentiful supply of counterfeit pills containing methamphetamine, which they distributed widely across the Merrimack Valley region,' prosecutors said. During a recorded meeting with a cooperating source, Chan said he worked at a machine shop, could make the machinegun conversion 'switch' devices himself and gave instructions and demonstrations on how to install the 'switches' on a pistol, prosecutors said. A few days later, prosecutors said Chan sent the source a video of a person shooting a fully automatic handgun into the air, with the message: 'I let my boys test the switch.' This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

Man on skateboard stole $5,500 rainbow manatee statue from Wilton Manors park
Man on skateboard stole $5,500 rainbow manatee statue from Wilton Manors park

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Man on skateboard stole $5,500 rainbow manatee statue from Wilton Manors park

A man riding a skateboard stole a unique rainbow manatee statue from a Wilton Manors park, and police are still searching for him and the piece of art a week later. Wilton Manors Police released surveillance video on Tuesday, showing a shirtless man walk up to the 3-foot-tall fiberglass manatee statue at Justin Flippen Park just before 1 a.m. June 3 and push it down from its pedestal. The man took the statue, which is valued at $5,500 and was created to honor the late Mayor Justin Flippen, and skated away with it over his shoulder, the police department said. The man was last seen skating west on Northeast 21st Court, just across from the park. It's not the first time someone has tampered with art in Justin Flippen Park. In 2023, a man was arrested after he purposefully drove into a 14-foot-tall, blue glass mosaic sculpture of a bunny, titled 'Thunderbunny,' that was worth nearly $300,000, the police department said at the time. After his arrest, the same man admitted to also vandalizing a $15,000 sculpture of a popsicle by another artist in nearby Rachel Richardson Park just a few days earlier. Police say a man intentionally drove into a $200,000 sculpture. The artist says it won't discourage him. Wilton Manors Police ask anyone who might be able to identify the man who stole the manatee statue or anyone with information about where the statue is to call Det. Plante at 954-390-2172 or submit an anonymous tip to Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store