VERO BEACH — A 64-year-old Florida man remains at large Wednesday after police say he fatally shot his wife and the man believed to be her lover in a parking lot outside a public library.
Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey identified the suspect as Jesse Scott Ellis. Authorities say he killed Stacie Ellis Mason and Danny Ooley, 56, on Tuesday afternoon at the Indian River County Main Library. The two allegedly began a romantic relationship a month ago, according to Currey.
Surveillance video captured Mason and Ooley — both county government employees — pulling into the lot separately. Mason got into Ooley’s car, and moments later Ellis drove up and opened fire with an AR-style weapon, striking both victims inside the vehicle, Currey said.
The chief called the shootings a “targeted marital issue” and a crime of passion. Ellis and Mason had been married 13 years, had children together and were reportedly preparing to separate or divorce and sell their home, he said.
After the shooting, Ellis drove to nearby South Beach Park, abandoned his car and waded fully clothed into the Atlantic Ocean, swimming roughly 900 yards offshore, authorities said. A woman on the beach called for help, and fire rescue personnel responded by boat.
Currey said Ellis gave rescuers a false name when they approached and did not appear to need medical assistance. He remains missing, and officials were searching by boat Wednesday. Police have not ruled out the possibility that he drowned.
Ellis is described as 6 feet 4 inches tall. Multiple firearms were recovered from his home.
Deryl Loar, chairman of the Indian River County Commission where both victims worked, called them dedicated public servants.
“This is a resilient community,” Loar said. “We will get through this.”