Second arrest made in Fort Pierce pawn shop manager’s homicide
WPBF 25 NEWS STARTS RIGHT NOW. 11 THAT MAN, NOW ACCUSED OF FATALLY SHOOTING THE MANAGER OF FORT PIERCE PAWN SHOP. WE BROKE THE STORY BROUGHT TO YOU AS BREAKING NEWS LAST NIGHT. GOOD EVENING. THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE AT 11. I’M TODD MCDERMOTT. EVEN THOUGH POLICE HAVE THE SUSPECTED KILLER IN CUSTODY, THEY’RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THE MURDER WAS COMMITTED. ARI HAIT HAS THE LATEST TONIGHT FROM FORT PIERCE. POLICE SAY THE VICTIM IN THIS MURDER WAS THE MANAGER HERE AT. WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER ALONG U.S. ONE IN FORT PIERCE. TUESDAY NIGHT, A FRIEND GOT CONCERNED BECAUSE THE MANAGER STOPPED RESPONDING TO CALLS AND TEXTS. SO THAT FRIEND STOPPED BY THE STORE ON HIS WAY, WENT INSIDE AND FOUND THE MANAGER ON THE GROUND, SHOT TO DEATH. NOW THE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY, BUT HIS MOTIVE REMAINS A MYSTERY. 20 YEAR-OLD LANDON BALLARD WAS WALKED OUT OF THE FORT PIERCE POLICE DEPARTMENT WEDNESDAY EVENING AND TAKEN TO THE SAINT LUCIE COUNTY JAIL, WHERE HE’S BEING HELD ON MURDER CHARGES. POLICE SAY SOMETIME BETWEEN 6 AND 7:00 TUESDAY NIGHT, BALLARD WENT TO THE. WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER SHOP ON U.S. ONE AND KILLED THE MANAGER THERE FROM SURVEILLANCE VIDEO, WE CAN SEE THE VICTIM AND SUSPECT HAVING WHAT APPEARS TO BE A NORMAL CONVERSATION. WHEN THE SUSPECT PRODUCED A HANDGUN AND FIRED AT THE VICTIM MULTIPLE TIMES, POLICE RIGHT NOW ARE NOT RELEASING THE NAME OF THE VICTIM EXCEPT TO SAY SHE’S 35 YEARS OLD, A BIOLOGICAL MALE LIVING LIFE AS A WOMAN. BUT INVESTIGATORS ALSO SAY THEY DO NOT BELIEVE HER GENDER PLAYED ANY ROLE IN HER MURDER. AT THIS POINT, THOUGH, THEY’RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DID PLAY A ROLE IN HER MURDER. RIGHT NOW, THERE’S NO INDICATION THAT ANYTHING WAS TAKEN FROM THE BUSINESS. AGAIN, WE DON’T HAVE A MOTIVE. WE DON’T KNOW WHY THIS TOOK PLACE. THERE’S NO INDICATION THAT THEY KNEW ONE ANOTHER, AND NO ITEMS WERE TAKEN FROM THAT BUSINESS. MOTIVE IS NOT THE ONLY QUESTION POLICE ARE STILL TRYING TO ANSWER. THEY SAY BALLARD STOPPED AT. WE BUY GOLD AND SILVER SISTER STORE BY THE SAME NAME IN VERO BEACH BEFORE GOING TO THE ONE IN FORT PIERCE. THEY DON’T KNOW WHY. THEY ALSO SAY SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS ANOTHER MAN IN THE STORE AT THE TIME OF THE MURDER. THEY DON’T KNOW WHO THAT MAN IS. WE ARE STILL TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE OTHER PERSON THAT WAS IN THE BUSINESS RIGHT NOW. WE’RE NOT SURE IF THEY WERE INVOLVED OR NOT. FOR NOW, POLICE ARE CALLING THAT OTHER MAN A PERSON OF INTEREST. IF YOU CAN HELP IDENTIFY HIM OR HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MURDER, YOU’RE
Second arrest made in Fort Pierce pawn shop manager’s homicide
Updated: 12:09 PM EDT May 7, 2026
A second arrest has been made in a shooting that killed a Fort Pierce pawn shop manager.The Fort Pierce Police Department announced Thursday that Tylen Jerome Ryan, 22, from Vero Beach, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday on a tampering with or destroying evidence charge in Indian River County.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 NewsAccording to Indian River County Sheriff’s Office records, on Thursday, Ryan was transferred to another law enforcement agency just after 10 a.m.Ryan is a person of interest in the homicide of Lazaro Rodriguez Vega, 35, a pawn shop manager of We Buy Gold and Silver Shop at 4603 South U.S. Highway 1 on April 28.The Fort Pierce Police Department previously arrested 20-year-old Landen J. Ballard in connection with the shooting.Ballard is in the St. Lucie County Jail facing first-degree murder and tampering with evidence charges.The men are accused of being in the pawn shop when Vega was killed, with Ballard allegedly firing the fatal gunshot.Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
FORT PIERCE, Fla. —
A second arrest has been made in a shooting that killed a Fort Pierce pawn shop manager.
The Fort Pierce Police Department announced Thursday that Tylen Jerome Ryan, 22, from Vero Beach, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday on a tampering with or destroying evidence charge in Indian River County.
Indian River County Sheriff’s Office
Tylen J. Ryan
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
According to Indian River County Sheriff’s Office records, on Thursday, Ryan was transferred to another law enforcement agency just after 10 a.m.
Ryan is a person of interest in the homicide of Lazaro Rodriguez Vega, 35, a pawn shop manager of We Buy Gold and Silver Shop at 4603 South U.S. Highway 1 on April 29.
The Fort Pierce Police Department previously arrested 20-year-old Landen J. Ballard in connection with the shooting.
Ballard is in the St. Lucie County Jail facing first-degree murder and tampering with evidence charges.
The men are accused of being in the pawn shop when Vega was killed, with Ballard allegedly firing the fatal gunshot.
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.