FORT PIERCE, Fla. — St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara announced Monday the arrest of a suspect in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day mass shooting that killed a 29-year-old mother at Ilous Ellis Park in Fort Pierce.
Mascara said Kemmye Riccardo Parson, 28, of Fort Pierce was taken into custody Friday morning by U.S. Marshals in Tampa.
He faces charges of attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, second-degree felony murder and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
Parson is being held in Hillsborough County without bond as he awaits extradition to St. Lucie County.
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Nikkitia Bryant was killed Jan. 16 while she was celebrating the holiday with her daughter. She was one of eight people shot at the park near Avenue M and 13th Street.
"This case meant a lot to us," Mascara said. "I can tell you that the community, by sharing their photos and videos of this MLK event, and subsequent tragedy that occurred, they have been especially helpful in this case."
Bryant's family has been hoping for justice for more than two months.
Bryant was a hair stylist who graduated from Fort Pierce Central High School. She was at the MLK event with her 9-year-old daughter when she was gunned down.
Following the tragedy, the sheriff's office is working with the county to install surveillance cameras at five parks that Mascara said have been plagued by violence or vandalism, including Ilous Ellis Park.
Mascara also said that they have banned the two promoters, James Monds and Tiffany Burrell, who held the MLK Day event after security was canceled and alcohol was served. The promoters will no longer be able to lease any county facility, the sheriff said.
Mascara welcomed more tips and information from the community about the shooting and said a $10,000 reward is still available related to the case.
"With the arrest of this suspect, our work is not done," Mascara said. "This is just begun. We want to know who the other people were in the park that shot that day."
Tips can be made to Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-273-8477.
