Stuart police are still actively searching for the person who shot a woman Wednesday night in East Stuart near East Avenue and Lake Street.
Aaliyah Marie Rogers, 20, is in stable condition after being shot in the abdomen, according to police.
Police say she was sitting outside a home when she was shot. Police do not know if she was the intended target.
Police doubled their patrols through the East Stuart community Wednesday night in an effort to help residents feel safe and to continue talking to as many people as possible.
They are hoping to get a suspect name.
Thankfully, Chief David Dyess says, many people in the community are talking to them.
Wednesday afternoon, police spent hours investigating a possible tie to the shooting at a home a block away.
Police said a code enforcement officer was at the home Wednesday morning and found something suspicious.
“They saw some evidence of drug activity and asked for an officer and the officer confirmed that activity as well,” Dyess said.
That officer also saw weapons inside a car at the home and got a search warrant.
Three long rifles were taken out of the car, but they can not be tied to the shooting or ruled out until a forensic test is complete.
Police hope they are getting closer to solving the shooting.
“We have received information from the community about the suspects from the shooting last night running in this direction. We also had a K-9 track from that that also ended in this general area over here.”
Having the community cooperate is working in their favor, too, Dyess said.
“The business owners, the residents, ministers, we’ve been in constant contact.”
For East Stuart native, Jimmy Wilson, that’s a big step forward for the community.
“You know that’s a step forward, because most of the time when I look at the news, it’s please call this number with any information,” he said.
Wilson says Rogers is his daughter’s first- cousin.
“To have anything being said [by witnesses], that’s a positive and lets you know this neighborhood is not that bad.”
This is the second shooting in Stuart this year. Neither were deadly, but both happened in just the last two weeks.
