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$5,000 reward offered in deadly Fort Pierce shooting that claimed mother's life

Detectives want to speak with everyone who attended MLK Day event
A mother was killed after a gang-related shooting at Ilous Ellis Park in Fort Pierce on Jan. 16, 2023.
Posted at 2:40 PM, Jan 18, 2023
and last updated 2023-01-18 16:45:36-05

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The reward for a tip that leads to an arrest in Monday's deadly Fort Pierce shooting is $5,000.

Investigators on Wednesday released the name of a person of interest in the case.

A 29-year-old mother, Nikkitia Bryant, was killed in the incident.

Detectives said they need the public's help in this case.

Investigators said they know it was chaotic at Ilous Ellis Park when the shooting occurred at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.

People were running in all directions, pointing to different places where they believed shots were coming from.

Nikkitia Bryant, 29, was killed in a Jan. 16, 2023 shooting at Ilous Ellis Park in Fort Pierce.jpg
Nikkitia Bryant, 29, was killed in a Jan. 16, 2023 shooting at Ilous Ellis Park in Fort Pierce.

However chaotic it was, detectives said someone might have a piece of information that will put the puzzle together.

About a dozen tips have come into Crimestoppers regarding the shooting.

If you're concerned about your name being attached to any information you give, Crimestoppers said to call their number at 800-273-8477. You will remain anonymous.

Russ Marcham, the tip coordinator for Treasure Coast Crimestoppers, said if you want to be rewarded money, or you just want to do the right thing, call them first.

Russ Marcham explains how the Treasure Coast Crimestoppers system works, which allows tipsters to remain anonymous.
Russ Marcham explains how the Treasure Coast Crimestoppers system works, which allows tipsters to remain anonymous.

"When you call us, your phone number just doesn't go directly to our call center where it pops up on a caller ID. We pay a company in another state, through the miracle of modern technology," Marcham said. "In a millisecond, the number routes to them then goes to the call center, and that company that we employ kind of digitally scrambles the numbers, so by the time it gets to our call center your phone number doesn’t even show up, so you're anonymous. We can take that to court."

Some community members said Wednesday that they believe people are reluctant to talk about the case.

"It's tough. These people, a lot of young guys, they don't care," a resident named Isaiah said. "They'll shoot your house and everything else if you get involved."

Detectives said they want to speak with anyone who was at the event. They know it was a lot of people, but there might be something they can answer that will help them with their case. The sheriff’s office can be contacted at 772-462-3230.