FORT PIERCE — A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting inside a Fort Pierce gold and silver shop, authorities said.
Landen Julian Ballard, 20, of Vero Beach, faces charges of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and violation of probation, with additional charges possible as the investigation continues.
Officers with the Fort Pierce Police Department responded around 7:12 p.m. on April 28 to a 911 call reporting a person lying on the floor covered in blood inside the We Buy Gold and Silver store at 4603 S. U.S. Highway 1.
When officers arrived, they found the victim, a white female, on the floor with blood around her. Fort Pierce Police Chief David M. Smith later added that she was 35 years old.
Preliminary findings indicated that an unidentified black male and Ballard entered the business, encountered the victim and, at some point, Ballard shot her multiple times, killing her before fleeing the scene.
The unidentified male was labeled as an additional person of interest. Smith said that individual’s connection to the incident remains unclear.
Police said there is no ongoing threat to the public.
“This was a senseless act of violence and our focus right now is on bringing the person responsible to justice and supporting our victim’s family,” Fort Pierce Police Chief David M. Smith said.
Through the investigation, officers tracked the suspect’s route after he left the scene to an area off Interstate 95, where a K-9 unit located a magazine and a firearm believed to match the weapon used in the shooting, Smith said.
Ballard was later located at his mother’s residence in Fort Pierce.
Smith said investigators are still working to determine a motive. Surveillance video shows the victim and Ballard appeared to be having a normal conversation before the shooting, and there is no indication at this time that they knew each other.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fort Pierce Police Department at 772-462-6800 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at www.tcwatch.org