A star school soccer participant was allegedly shot and killed by a former school basketball participant whereas visiting his hometown in Florida on Mom’s Day weekend.
Nathaniel Bernard Jennings, 19, was gunned down in Downtown Melbourne after police stated he received into an argument with suspect Stephan Dieujuste, 24, close to Neon Rodeo bar on Saturday at round 1:50 a.m., Florida Immediately reported.
Melbourne Police and Fireplace Rescue shortly responded to the scene, the place they discovered Jennings — a freshman defensive lineman for the College of Northwestern, St. Paul — unresponsive.
He was rushed to a neighborhood hospital, the place he was declared lifeless.
Dieujuste, a former Japanese Florida State Faculty level guard, was questioned by police on the scene and claimed the capturing was in self-defense.
The previous school basketball participant was later arrested and charged with manslaughter. He’s presently being held on the Brevard County Jail Complicated.
The capturing was captured on newly put in downtown surveillance cameras, metropolis officers confirmed to Florida Immediately.
Police are nonetheless investigating what sparked the argument between the 2 males.
It’s additionally unclear if Jennings, a graduate of Heritage Excessive College, and Dieujuste, a graduate of Bayside Excessive College, knew one another.
“It’s an energetic investigation,” a spokesperson for the Melbourne Police Division, Lt. Bradley Blount, informed Florida Immediately.
After information broke of the star protection lineman’s dying, the top soccer coach on the College of Northwestern, Matt Moore, launched a press release praising Jenning’s character on and off the gridiron.
“Nate was a treasured member of our soccer crew, being honored with all-conference accolades following his first yr of collegiate competitors,” Moore stated, in line with WESH 2.
“For as gifted as Nate was on the soccer area, he was a good higher individual off of it. His contagious vitality and positivity might be missed. We’re praying for Nate’s mom, Autumn, brother Isaiah, and different members of his prolonged household throughout this tough time.”
The rising school soccer star completed his freshman season at Northwestern with 55 whole tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, and one fumble restoration.
Jennings’ dying is the primary reported murder in Melbourne this yr, in line with metropolis crime statistics. It is usually solely the second murder to occur within the downtown space within the final two years.
Randy Bennett — a bar proprietor who’s labored downtown for almost a decade — stated the capturing occurred in entrance of the enterprise subsequent to his, and his workers was working when the “entire factor went down.”
“Downtown is gorgeous, it’s secure, individuals aren’t getting their stuff stolen,” Bennett informed WESH 2. “This was an remoted incident by a pair individuals who determined to take it into their very own arms as an alternative of shopping for one another a beer.”
“Very upsetting as a result of it is a good place to return,” native resident Linda Bouley informed the outlet.
“I’m glad they discovered the [suspect]. It doesn’t actually give me reduction as a result of it’s like why did this occur? Why is a 19-year-old getting shot? Why does any individual have a gun out right here the place that is speculated to be an space that you just simply come to take pleasure in your self.”
Dieujuste made his preliminary courtroom look on Monday and was ordered held with out bond, courtroom data present.
His subsequent courtroom look has been set for June 5.
