Two Weekend Shootings in St. Lucie County — One Fatal — Raise Crime Trend Questions

Two shootings over a single weekend left one person dead and a woman hospitalized in St. Lucie County, renewing scrutiny of a county narrative that violent crime has been on the decline.

Antoine Myers, 19, of Georgia, died Monday from a gunshot wound to the head sustained Saturday evening in the 1600 block of NW St. Lucie West Boulevard, the Port St. Lucie Police Department confirmed. A second man, Jermonti Johnson, 19, also of Georgia, survived a gunshot wound to the abdomen and is expected to recover.

According to Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk, the shooting grew out of a cellphone transaction that went bad. Myers and Johnson had contacted suspects via cellphone, asking them to buy and activate phones on their behalf — a transaction Niemczyk said was motivated by reasons the victims "less than ethical." The suspects instead robbed the victims of their money and phones. The initial contact between the parties occurred at a Fort Pierce Walmart before the group traveled to St. Lucie West, where the shooting occurred at approximately 6:36 p.m.

Police have arrested two individuals in connection with the fatal shooting, but a third suspect — Norrien Morris Casminski, 18 — remains at large. Casminski is wanted on charges of attempted second-degree murder, robbery with a firearm, and grand theft. He has a prior criminal history that includes burglary, grand theft, and violation of probation. The firearm used in the shooting has not been recovered. Police consider Casminski dangerous and potentially armed. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call 911 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-800-273-TIPS.

Less than 24 hours later and roughly 15 miles south, Fort Pierce police responded to a separate shooting on Sunday morning in the 500 block of South 31st Street. Investigators say a homeowner called 911 at approximately 9:51 a.m. to report a woman trying to enter through a window. A man who knew the homeowner shot the woman as she attempted to climb inside. The woman, whose name has not been released, was transported to a local hospital in stable condition. No charges have been filed, and the investigation remains open.

Taken together, the two incidents represent a significant cluster of gun violence for a single weekend in one county — and they land at an awkward moment politically. St. Lucie County officials and law enforcement agencies have in recent years pointed to declining violent crime statistics as evidence that public safety investments are paying off. Whether that trend holds in the latest year-over-year data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Uniform Crime Report Officials said is a question the Sentinel is pursuing.

Neither the Port St. Lucie Police Department nor the Fort Pierce Police Department responded to Sentinel requests for comment on year-over-year violent crime data before publication.

The weekend's violence is not isolated to St. Lucie County. A pawn shop manager was shot and killed at a Florida location in a separate incident Officials said, according to a report from nationaljeweler.com. The Sentinel is working to determine whether that shooting has any connection to the Treasure Coast.

The Myers homicide is the story to watch. With one suspect still armed and at large, and the victim's family in Georgia left with no answers, the pressure on Port St. Lucie PD to close this case is substantial. The next development to track: whether Casminski is taken into custody before the investigation's momentum stalls.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.