PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A man accused of gunning down two people near West Palm Beach over the weekend appeared in a Palm Beach County courtroom on Monday.
Erasmo Perazaledesma, 64, faces two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
WATCH BELOW: Families grieve loss of 2 men shot dead at apartments
According to a Palm Beach County probable cause affidavit, deputies responded to the 3700 block of Nokomis Avenue at about 3 p.m. Saturday.
When deputies arrived, they found two men, later identified as Omar Hernandez-Gabriel and Ismael Castro-Merida, unresponsive in an open area behind an apartment building.
Hernandez-Gabriel had at least two gunshot wounds to his chest and one to his arm, according to the arrest report. Castro-Merida had at least one gunshot wound to his chest.
Paramedics were called to the scene, and both were pronounced dead shortly afterward.
The affidavit said deputies began knocking on doors to locate the suspect, witnesses or additional victims. They knocked on one door that wasn't marked or numbered and Perazaledesma, who was bleeding from his hands, answered.
Not knowing his involvement, the report said deputies entered his small room and began to render aid.
Once inside, the affidavit said the deputies spotted a revolver on a bed next to Perazaledesma. Additionally, the report said there was a handwritten note on the bed which read "for police."
Perazaledesma, who does not speak English, was taken from the room and guided to paramedics for treatment for his wounds, which included a gunshot wound to his left index finger. Five expended shell casings were recovered from his floor.
"While he was being loaded into the ambulance, several bystanders, who are residents in the complex, were yelling at deputies that Perazaledesma was the one who shot the two deceased victims," the affidavit said.
Perazaledesma was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center for treatment.
The arrest report said Perazaledesma told investigators that he lived in the small room in the back of the apartment complex and is a maintenance person for the property owner. He said that he had ongoing issues with Hernandez-Gabriel, Ismael Castro-Merida and multiple others. Perazaledesma told investigators that he had previously contacted law enforcement, the property owners and others regarding these issues but without resolution.
"These issues included alcohol consumption, drug use and dealing, sexual deviancy and threats towards Perazaledesma," the affidavit said.
The suspect told deputies that earlier in the day, multiple residents were in a courtyard area in front of the complex, drinking heavily.
At some point, Perazaledesma said Hernandez-Gabriel came to his room and started a verbal argument with him that included threats. A fight that turned physical later occurred involving Perazaledesma and Hernandez-Gabriel, who later left the scene and began calling Castro-Merida to help him.
At that time, the affidavit said Perazaledesma went back to his room and retrieved a firearm, exited his room and shot both of the victims.
"In speaking with Perazaledesma, he said that he had been keeping a journal, where he documented the issues in the complex over the last two years, and that journal was on the bed, labeled "for police," the arrest report said.
The affidavit said the suspect told investigators that he had been "trying for about two years" to stop the "illegal and deviant" behavior that had been occurring at the complex, stating that the fatal shooting could have been avoided if the situation had been handled properly.
However, Perazaledesma admitted to detectives that neither of the shooting victims was armed. Investigators later asked him if either victim had threatened to kill him. Perazaledesma replied that they threatened to "burn him alive."
The report said that Perazaledesma admitted that he could have avoided the confrontation by not coming outside of his room, and could have avoided shooting both of them by going back to his room and calling police.
Records show that Perazaledesma was a convicted felon with four previous felony convictions, including throwing a deadly missile, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and written threats to kill.
He is being held at the Palm Beach County jail without bond.
