(Photo of the car from St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office; Screenshots of the victim and the mailbox from NBC West Palm Beach affiliate WPTV News)
A 16-year-old boy was fatally shot while getting mail at his grandmother’s home in Florida, and detectives have recovered the car they believe was used in the shooting but have made no arrests.
Vontraez Banner’s mother identified her son as the boy authorities said was killed at 1:45 p.m. on Monday in the driveway of the home on Juanita Avenue near Fort Pierce in St. Lucie County.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara told NBC’s local affiliate WPTV the boy was going out peacefully to get his mail when someone drove up and fired multiple rounds.
“This an isolated incident,” Mascara said. “We think he was targeted for whatever reason.”
The sheriff said the neighbor next door was a relative who had a lot of people visiting for a funeral when they heard shots fired and found Vontreaz in the driveway.
Vontreaz was a sophomore at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy last year, the station reported.
Police cordoned off the neighborhood on Monday afternoon, searching for the killer or killers.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office provided an update after they said they found the car believed to be involved — a dark gray 2016 Chevrolet Cruze with a dark tint and a dent on the driver’s side rear quarter panel. The license plate number is AM99IM. Detectives asked for information about the vehicle in the area between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Monday.
“I feel bad for the family, too young, too young,” a neighbor told WPTV. “I moved here in 1973, and I’ve never seen nothing like this before in my life.”
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