Deputies say the Sunday afternoon shooting in Fort Pierce stemmed from a Facebook Marketplace deal involving an iPhone.
FORT PIERCE, FL — Four people were shot Sunday afternoon on the 3600 block of Avenue R after what investigators call an online marketplace transaction turned into an ambush, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said gunfire erupted around 1:15 p.m., drawing a large response and sending multiple victims to a local hospital.
The shooting is under active investigation, and detectives said early evidence points to a planned meetup for a purchase that escalated into a burst of gunfire. Officials said the group met for what they believed was a Facebook Marketplace sale, and the violence unfolded in the street outside a vacant home west of State Road 615. The sheriff’s office said a fifth person may have been involved and fled. As of Sunday night, all known victims were expected to survive, while investigators preserved the scene for forensics and interviews.
Deputies responded to reports of shots fired and found a car stopped in the roadway with visible bullet holes and more than 20 shell casings scattered nearby, Undersheriff John Bolduc said. “Three individuals came up in a vehicle to do an online marketplace type of transaction and then a shootout occurred,” Bolduc said, noting that witnesses outside at the time were not hurt. The sheriff’s office said the meetup centered on an iPhone sale. First responders from the St. Lucie County Fire District worked with deputies to stabilize the wounded before transport.
Authorities said four people suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center. Two were in surgery by evening and others were being prepared for procedures, Bolduc said. Deputies emphasized the case does not appear random and described it as a robbery linked to a transaction gone bad. Investigators believe at least one additional person ran from the area on foot and may have been part of the ambush. Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division took over the case and planned to maintain a visible presence in the neighborhood overnight while canvassing for surveillance video and additional witnesses.
Records from the scene placed the shooting in front of a vacant residence along Avenue R, a residential corridor north of Fort Pierce’s central business district. The site sits a short drive from State Road 615 and near blocks where deputies have responded to previous violent calls in recent years. The Sheriff’s Office has publicized “safe exchange” locations at its headquarters with cameras for in-person transactions; officials referenced those spaces while stressing that the only people injured Sunday were directly involved in the meetup. The agency has handled high-profile shootings in Fort Pierce before, though detectives said Sunday’s case appears tied to a specific transaction rather than broader neighborhood disputes.
By nightfall Sunday, the sheriff’s office had not announced any arrests. Detectives were processing the vehicle left in the street and collecting cartridge casings for ballistics comparison. Investigators said they would check nearby doorbell and business cameras, review social media messages related to the planned sale and run serial numbers on any recovered devices. Officials said they had identified a person of interest and were working to track that individual. The sheriff’s office said updates would be released as interviews and lab results clarify the sequence of events.
Crime-scene tape stretched across Avenue R as investigators photographed evidence markers and examined the car with punctured glass. Neighbors watched from porches as deputies moved door to door. “There’s a vehicle in the middle of the road… and there’s a lot of shell casings on the ground,” Bolduc said, describing what deputies encountered on arrival. The undersheriff added that the agency’s focus overnight would be on reconstructing the timeline and locating anyone who fled the scene, including the suspected fifth participant.
As of late Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office said all four victims were receiving treatment and were expected to survive. Detectives remained on Avenue R to process evidence and canvass the neighborhood. Investigators said the next update is expected once interviews and evidence reviews are complete on Monday.
Author note: Last updated January 19, 2026.