A husband is on the run after fatally shooting his estranged wife and her lover outside a Vero Beach library on Tuesday.
The shooting happened around 7 a.m. Tuesday outside the Indian River County Main Library on 21st Street.
At a news conference Wednesday, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey identified the victims as 49-year-old Stacie Mason and 56-year-old Danny Ooley. Both were Indian River Public Works employees. Ooley was the assistant director and Mason was a traffic analyst technician, county officials said.
Ellis and Mason were Married for 13 Years but Going Through Divorce, She was Romantically Involved with Ooley
Surveillance video showed Ooley arriving first in a Ford Ranger and backing into a parking space, Currey said during the press conference. Mason then pulled in separately in a Volkswagen SUV and got into the passenger seat of Ooley's truck.
The suspect, identified as 64-year-old Jesse Scott Ellis is then seen approaching the vehicle and firing multiple times, striking Ooley first, Currey alleged during the briefing. He then allegedly walked around the truck and fired additional shots toward Mason on the passenger side. An AR-15 style weapon was used in the shooting.
Ellis and Mason had been married for around 13 years but in the midst of possibly separating or divorcing and selling their home, Currey said, before adding that Mason may have been romantically involved with Ooley.
"This was a situation of a crime of passion, two individuals that were apparently seeing each other for a period of time and one husband being upset about it and potentially committing the crime," Currey said.
Witnesses Reported Ellis Jumping into the Ocean
The suspect left a weapon behind and Ellis' truck was later found at South Beach Park, Currey said. Witnesses reported seeing a man, believed to be Ellis, going into the ocean near Riomar Country Club and swimming about 900 yards off shore, Currey said.
A fire department boat responded and spoke to him but he gave them a false name and they determined he was in a "safe scenario," Currey said. Investigators executed a search warrant at Ellis' home and recovered multiple firearms and phones, and are still searching for him, Currey said.
"He's still at large, he's still a person of interest," Currey said. "Could he have drowned? Potentially yes. Could he have come back out of the water? Potentially yes."
