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Lazaro Gonzalez Torres: Worker shot dead at Stewart Materials in St. Lucie County

Posted at 11:26 AM, Jan 11, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-12 15:23:59-05

The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said the truck driver involved in a deadly workplace shooting at Stewart Materials on Indrio Road will not be charged at this time.

The sheriff’s office identified Lazaro Gonzalez Torres, 58, of Vero Beach as the man shot and killed Thursday morning. Detectives say an argument between Torres and another truck driver led to the shooting. 

St. Lucie County Chief Deputy Garry Wilson said they received a 911 call at about 9:58 a.m. At that time, detectives were calling the driver involved a suspect and questioned him at the sheriff's office. 

Just before 5 p.m., investigators obtained a search warrant to go into the two trucks still at the scene. The yellow truck the victim was driving appeared to have still been running. Detectives were able to collect more evidence from both trucks. 

"It's crazy. I never expected something like this from these drivers," said Celebricky Samlan, truck driver. 

Samlan said he knows both the victim and the suspected shooter involved. He said when he realized what happened, he saw the victim lying on the ground. 
 
Samlan said he picks up gravel, sand, and rock from Stewart Materials. He said most of the drivers know each other and  doesn't understand how things went south so quickly. He called both the drivers "cool guys."
 
"We have fun, when we drive here we have fun make jokes talk on the radio we don’t fight, none of us fight here," added Samlan. 
 
The Public Information Office for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said right now detectives believe Torres and the truck driver they questioned Thursday are the only ones involved in the deadly shooting, but as the investigation continues that could change. 

On Friday, St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara issued the following statement:

“Our investigation has led us to discover a familial relationship between the two individuals involved in the incident. The shooting was not a random act and had no connection to their employer or workplace.  There is a documented history of law enforcement involvement between the two individuals. Our investigation into exactly what happened at the mine and why will continue.”