ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County residents are on edge after two people were killed Friday night in a Walgreens parking lot near The Players.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Friday in the parking lot at the Walgreens at the corner of Palm Valley Road in Ponte Vedra, directly across from The Players Championship.
Investigators said the shooting stemmed from a domestic violence dispute and left two people dead. The victims’ identities had not been released.
Caleb Mitchell said he was walking into the Walgreens at the time when he heard six gunshots and then saw police and several helicopters swarm the area. The witness said he recorded cellphone video moments after the shooting. Parts of the footage were blurred because of its graphic nature. The witness said he was still in shock but decided to share what he captured after seeing News4JAX at the scene.
“I never thought in my life that there’d be a random killing like that,” he said. He described seeing a person on the ground with “blood everywhere,” and said the heavy law enforcement presence “kind of scared me a little bit.”
Joseph Carnley said he was at TPC when someone asked him about the incident.
“Some guy kind of came up in the conversation and said, ' Man, did you hear what happened really close outside the gates here?‘” Carnley said.
Authorities identified the suspect as 32-year-old Christian Barrios. Investigators said Barrios allegedly made contact with PGA staff in the area, picked up a radio and may have touched other items before leaving, prompting a multi-agency manhunt.
Nassau County Sheriff’s Office deputies later located Barrios in a dark-colored BMW that investigators said had been reported stolen during a burglary. Deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle, which crashed into the woods, and Barrios was taken into custody shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday, officials said.
Authorities said there is no longer a threat to the community. The investigation remains ongoing.
Andrew Kirschman said that he saw it on Facebook.
“My mom and I we were just right after dinner and we heard about it and we were appalled by it,” Kirschman said.
Carnley said the double shooting is not normal in Ponte Vedra.
“It was a pretty gruesome shooting and that’s just something we’re not used to around here, especially in Ponte Vedra,” he said.
He said that even though the events of the shooting and the manhunt that followed may have rattled people, it’s important to keep a calm sense of mind.
“I think people should at least try to keep their heads on the brighter side of things and condolences out to the family and it’s just awful to hear,” he said.
Barrios is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and was ordered held without bond. He also faces charges of burglary of an occupied dwelling, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting into a conveyance and grand theft of a motor vehicle, according to authorities. Bond was set at $200,000 on the burglary charge and $100,000 on each of the remaining counts.