ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Detectives in St. Lucie County are investigating a fatal shooting Monday afternoon near Fort Pierce that claimed the life of a 16-year-old teen while getting mail outside his grandmother's house where he was staying.
Investigators said the shooting occurred around 1:45 p.m. in the 2600 block of Juanita Avenue, west of Northwest 25th Street.
The victim was identified as Vontreaz Banner by his mother. He was a sophomore last year at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy.
"He was going out peacefully to get his mail. Someone fired multiple rounds, hitting him," Sheriff Ken Mascara told WPTV's Joel Lopez. "He was declared dead when he arrived at the hospital.
"The neighbor next door is a relative (uncle) and he had a lot of people here visiting for a funeral that's going to occur this Sunday and they were in the backyard. Heard all the shots and came out"
A neighbor said: "I feel bad for the family, too young, too young. I moved here in 1973 and I've never seen nothing like this before in my life."
Juanita Avenue was closed to traffic between Bedford and Essex drives but has since reopened.
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Law enforcement is still looking for the shooter.
"This an isolated incident," Mascara said. "We think he was targeted for whatever reason."
