Arrests made after 2024 fatal shooting in Fort Pierce
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.
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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
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