RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Riviera Beach police said a man is dead following a shooting Tuesday night on Singer Island, an area known to be a popular tourist destination.
Police said they were called to a shooting outside the Sands Hotel about 11 p.m.
WPTV spoke to Laiken Smerdon, who said she was Troy Nichols Jr.'s girlfriend and father of her 7-month-old boy.
"He loves his family. He's a good son, a good brother. He loves to fish. He's a great person," Smerdon said. "I don't have much that I can say other than he was an amazing person. We love him, his family loves him. We just want to know what happened."
She said her boyfriend was shot and killed after he left home to hang out with a friend.
"I'm angry and I don't know understand how something like this can happen," Smerdon said. "He doesn't have any enemies over here, no friends."
The Sands Hotel is located in the heart of Singer Island.
The general consensus among other local businesses and residents who WPTV spoke to is that the hotel and the bar raise safety concerns.
"They need to make changes on that hotel, either rebuild it or close it down, because it's just not a right place for here," an employee of a nearby business said. "The island has been changing a lot, and it's a nice place to be and come and visit, but that particular section there, it just doesn't belong."
Employees working at the Sands Hotel and the Seaside Bar and Grill told WPTV they did not want to comment at this time.
Riviera Beach police have not released any information on the shooter or the motive. They have, however, said the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no threat to the community.
The worry among some residents is that if something doesn't change, it won't be long before the police are called to the area again.
"They're open very late," one resident said. "It can get a little shady at times."
WPTV contacted the city of Riviera Beach and the mayor's office regarding these concerns but has not heard back.
Riviera Beach is asking anyone with any information on the shooting to call Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers at 800-458-TIPS or police at 561-845-4123.
