Jesse Ellis is the primary suspect in the fatal shootings of his wife Stacie Ellis Mason and Danny Ooley on the morning of March 24, according to police. The shooting occurred around 7 a.m. on March 24 in a parking lot near the Indian River County Main Library in Vero Beach. Stacie Mason and Danny Ooley were employees of the Indian River County government, specifically the Public Works Department.
Police officials believe Stacie Mason and Danny Ooley were having an affair. Jesse Ellis and Stacie Mason had been married for 13 years and were reportedly separating, according to multiple reports.
So, he got on his back, and he said, 'I'm exhausted, I'm tired,' and I said, 'Do it! Get on your back and let the waves carry you, you can do it, come on.'
After the shooting, a man was spotted wading into the ocean fully clothed, and emergency responders reached him by boat about 900 yards offshore. The man provided a false name to emergency responders and was initially deemed safe, with no assistance required. Investigators later believed the man in the ocean was Jesse Ellis, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey said. A vehicle linked to Ellis was found at South Beach Park, containing wet clothing, an empty holster, a .380-caliber magazine, and documents indicating he intended to take his own life, according to multiple reports.
A woman named Belinda rescued a man from the ocean near Riomar Beach in Vero Beach, Florida, on the morning of March 24. The rescued man was identified as Jesse Scott Ellis, age 64. Belinda was unaware of Ellis's identity or the allegations against him at the time of the rescue, according to multiple reports.
He said, 'I'm exhausted, I'm tired,' and I said, 'Do it! Get on your back and let the waves carry you, you can do it, come on.'
Ellis allegedly used an AR-15-style rifle in the shooting, Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey told major media. As of the report, Jesse Ellis remains at large, and the public is warned not to approach him, according to multiple reports. The exact current whereabouts of Jesse Ellis are unknown, and the specific evidence directly linking him to the shootings beyond being the primary suspect has not been disclosed. The full content and nature of the documents found in Ellis's vehicle indicating suicidal intent remain unclear, as does why emergency responders initially deemed the man in the ocean safe despite him providing a false name.
I could not leave him in the water no matter what. Everybody is going through something.