Courtesy: Vero Beach Police Department
VERO BEACH, Fla. - A Florida man wanted in connection with a double murder is at large.
What we know:
According to the Vero Beach Police Department, officers were called to an area near the library around 7 a.m. on Tuesday for reports of gunshots.
When police arrived, they said they found a man and a woman in a parking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Officers said surveillance video showed a man backing his Ford Ranger into a parking space and then a woman is seen pulling into the parking lot in an SUV, parking it and then getting in the passenger side of the Ranger.
Moments later, the suspect is seen approaching the driver’s door of the Ranger and firing multiple shots into the vehicle.
Then, the video shows the suspect walking around to the passenger side of the Ranger and opening fire again.
Dig deeper:
According to Currey, Jesse Ellis and the female victim were in the process of separating or divorcing.
The chief added that Ellis "got a professional service to look into things" and he learned that his wife was meeting up with a married man at the library.
Currey said the victims had met at the library in the past.
"This was a crime of passion," Currey explained. "Two individuals who were apparently seeing each other for a period of time. One husband being upset about it and, potentially, maybe this crime was committed."
Dig deeper:
Shortly after the shooting, a woman called the fire department because she said she saw a man go into the ocean fully clothed and was swimming about 900 yards offshore.
Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said first responders launched a vessel from the beach and made contact with the man.
According to Currey, the crew deemed the man safe, and he swam away, declining a ride back to shore.
It wasn’t until later that Jesse Ellis was named a person of interest in the double homicide, and first responders said the man in the water looked similar, though they said he gave them a different name.
The police chief said Ellis’ truck was found at the beach.
"Could he have drowned? Potentially. Yes. Could he have come back out of the water? Yes. So, that’s why we certainly need to know where he is," Currey stated.
Currey vowed to keep searching for Ellis until he is found.
What you can do:
Law enforcement is asking the public to remain vigilant and report any information regarding Ellis’ whereabouts. However, they said to use caution if he is located because he may be armed.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 800-273-8477.
The Source: This article was written with information from a press conference with the Vero Beach Police Chief and social media posts from the Vero Beach Police Department.