No end in sight for a couple of terrifying criminal trends: violent
teenagers and homeless victims. The Broward Sheriff's Office is
reporting the arrest of two teens, Harry Velez (age 17) and Brady John Fisher (19),
in the murder of Eustoquio Lopez, a 40-year-old homeless man who was
shot early Saturday evening near an apartment complex in Pompano Beach.
From the BSO release:
The deadly encounter occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 12 outside an apartment complex in the 200 block of Avondale Drive in Pompano Beach. Cristobal Mariano and his homeless buddy, Eustoquio Lopez, were chatting outside the apartment where Mariano lives when the two suspects approached. There was a confrontation, and shots were fired.
Mariano, 40, and Lopez, 46, were transported to North Broward Medical Center. Lopez died at the hospital. Mariano is expected to recover.
The suspects ran to a nearby apartment complex. The security guard at the gated community was aware of the active BSO perimeter and became suspicious when he saw the shirtless males jump into a Ford Taurus. The attentive guard took down the vehicle's tag number and passed it along to investigators. That crucial piece of information helped BSO homicide detectives identify the shooter, Velez, and his accomplice, Fisher.
The two were arrested late Sunday night after detectives found them hiding out at a friend's apartment near NE 31st Steet and Federal Highway in Pompano Beach. Velez faces one count of murder in the first degree, and Fisher faces one count of accessory after the fact. BSO homicide detectives said the motive for the shooting was robbery.
