Sheriff Ken Mascara stated that two men were shot on Friday evening at the intersection of San Diego Road and N. 42nd Street and two other men were arrested in connection to that shooting.
“One victim, Jamaris Jaquin Smith, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene by St. Lucie County Fire Rescue,” said Sheriff Ken J. Mascara. “The second victim, a 17-year-old black male was grazed by a bullet above his left ear and was transported to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center where he was treated and released.”
Two men charged in San Diego Rd Shooting in PSL
According to the Sheriff, witnesses called 911 at approximately 7:40 p.m. and stated they heard gun shots in front of their house and saw a grey, four-door Acura vehicle leaving the area.
“Our first-responding deputy arrived on scene and saw two males laying on the ground,” Mascara said. “That deputy immediately gathered information from witnesses on a description of the vehicle and relayed it over the radio to other deputies en-route.”
According to the Sheriff, a car matching the description of what the witness stated was spotted on Angle Road going east from N. 53rd Street.
“Our responding deputies swiftly and safety conducted a traffic stop on the matching vehicle at Angle Road and Avenue Q,” Mascara said. “These deputies communicated with those on scene and confirmed from witness and victim details that the occupants matched the individuals seen shooting at the victims and leaving the area.”
Bendrell Johnson
According to the Sheriff, three black males were located in the vehicle and were detained.
“These three subjects were taken to our Criminal Investigations Division at the Midway Road office and were questioned by detectives,” Mascara said. “Based upon the information provided by these individuals and the corroborating statements made by the surviving victim and witnesses, our detectives developed sufficient probably cause to arrest the shooter, Bendrell J. Johnson, 18, and an accomplice, Marcus Dewayne Jones, 17.”
“The willingness of the witnesses to immediately come forward and share information about suspects and vehicle seen leaving the area was paramount for the success of our deputies to spot the vehicle and locate the suspects,” Mascara said. “Without this crucial information we might have not had such a quick closure of this case. This is a testament of our relationship with our community and on behalf of myself and the victims involved I thank the witnesses for their assistance.”
According to the Sheriff, Johnson was charged with first degree murder and attempted first degree murder and was transported to the St. Lucie County without bond. Jones was charged with first degree murder and attempted first degree murder and was transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice with no bond. It was determined after thorough questioning that the driver of the vehicle had no involvement in the crime.
“The fast-acting and thorough work of our first-responding deputy, others responding to the scene, our detectives and crime scene technicians made this unfortunate killing a short-lived investigation that resulted in immediate apprehension of the criminals,” Mascara said.
