FORT PIERCE \u2013 A 20-year-old Vero Beach man was arrested April 29 in the fatal shooting of a manager at Cash Out Gold and Silver at 4603 U.S. 1, Fort Pierce, Fort Pierce Police Chief David Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a senseless act of violence and our focus right now is on bringing that person to justice and supporting our victim\u2019s family,\u201d Smith said in a press conference outside the Fort Pierce Police Department.<\/p>\n
Landen Julian Ballard is in the St. Lucie County jail on no bond on a first-degree murder charge and violation of probation. He also has a charge of tampering with evidence for which there is a $20,000 bond, according to jail records.<\/p>\n
There may be more charges as the investigation continues and the suspect has a criminal history of burglary and theft charges, Smith said.<\/p>\n
Police arrived at the store, about a half-mile south of West Weatherbee Road, at about 7:15 p.m., April 28, after an employee from another store called 911 to report finding the woman\u2019s body, surrounded by blood, lying on the floor, Smith said.<\/p>\n
The employee had last spoken to the manager around 6 p.m., Smith said. When he tried to get in touch with her at about 7 p.m., he couldn\u2019t reach her and decided to check on her and found her on the floor, Smith said.<\/p>\n
In viewing surveillance video from inside the store, the suspect was seen entering the store and the two \u201cappeared to be having a normal conversation. The suspect produced a handgun and fired at the victim multiple times (and) after he shot the victim, he ran out of the business,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
There was no apparent motive for the shooting and nothing was taken from the store, Smith said. \u201cThere\u2019s no indication that the suspect or the victim knew one another,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n
Using that surveillance video and ones from surrounding businesses, detectives, with the help of the U.S. Marshal\u2019s service, officers from Port St. Lucie Police Department and Indian River County, St. Lucie County and Martin County sheriff\u2019s office, were able to track the suspect, using other leads to find him, Smith said.<\/p>\n
The leads led officers to an area off I-95, where, with the assistance of a K9 unit, multiple gun magazines and a firearm were found. Those will be sent off to ballistics to determine if any of them were used in the shooting, Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on that information, we were able to quickly identify a suspect who was taken into custody earlier this afternoon,\u201d Smith said. The suspect, who has a listed home in Vero Beach, was arrested at his mother\u2019s home at 1340 Carlton Court in Fort Pierce.<\/p>\n
There was another person in the store at the time but detectives do not know yet if that person was involved, Smith said. \u201c(He is) a \u2018person of interest\u2019 right now,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe are still trying to identify that person who was in the business. We don\u2019t believe (that person) was directly involved in the shooting right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the victim\u2019s next of kin was notified, Smith declined to identify the victim, only saying that she was a 35-year-old woman from Palm Beach County.<\/p>\n
The suspect sometime earlier had gone to another We Buy Gold and Silver shop in Vero Beach and was directed to the Fort Pierce location, Smith said.<\/p>\n
There is no threat to the public and this remains an active investigation, Smith said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe still need the public\u2019s help. Even the smallest detail can make a difference in a case like this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n