Three dead, two wounded in Palm Bay shooting; suspect charged, held
PALM BAY — Three people were shot and killed Saturday night at a Palm Bay apartment complex and two other people wounded, prompting a massive search for the suspect that ended with his arrest in Melbourne, police said.
Three people were pronounced dead shortly after officers arrived at Woodlake Village Apartments, Palm Bay police said. At least two other shooting victims were taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center for treatment, one of them, a teenager, in critical condition.
Police arrested Te-Shawn Clive Taylor, a 26-year-old Palm Bay resident whose address is listed as being in the building where the shooting was reported. He was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder, court records show. He was being held Sunday without bail in the Brevard County Jail Complex.
Police gave no additional information about motive or the situation leading up to the shootings.
Officers arrived at the apartment complex Saturday night and found the bodies of three people — 60-year-old Angella Suglam, 79-year-old Stephen Suglam, and 31-year-old Lisa Suglam. Two other people also were found with gunshot wounds: A 15-year-old in critical condition, and Gary Taylor, 59, whose injuries were non-life-threatening. Police did not specify the gender of the wounded teenager. Officers were seen escorting at least two ambulances from the complex.
One neighbor reported seeing at least one body outside near one of the buildings. A heavy police presence was seen at the sprawling site, which sits off Palm Bay Road, as homicide detectives canvassed the area around the 2700 block of the complex. Crime scene tape cordoned the area off.
“It’s a pretty active scene,” Lt. Virginia Kilmer of the Palm Bay Police Department said Saturday night. Kilmer later confirmed the three shooting deaths as officers blocked off access to non-residents. It was not immediately clear what relationship the victims had with the suspected shooter.
“It does appear to be an isolated incident,” Kilmer said, adding that there was no further threat to the public.
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The shooting happened at about 9 p.m. Saturday, immediately leading to the search for the suspect with the assistance of Melbourne police.
A black Lexus — believed to be connected to the shooting — was seen atop a tow truck being take from another complex in south Melbourne after Taylor’s arrest. Records show Taylor was given a traffic ticket in March 2023 while driving a 2004 black Lexus, court records show.
Residents near the site of the shootings remained blocked in early Sunday as detectives conducted their investigation. Some expressed concern but added there was little that could be done to control someone else's behavior.
“I’ve seen a little bit of everything,” said 57-year-old Sharon Hill, a resident who has lived at the Key West-styled complex for over two decades. She was in her apartment with her cat in her lap when she heard a commotion outside late Saturday. Minutes later she heard the sirens. Later, with detectives clustered near the scene of the shooting, she stepped outside.
“I did take a walk around my car to make sure there were no bullet holes like there were in an another incident. I will say I do like it here. This is a good complex and they have good management. You can’t control who comes through here,” she said.
The shootings bring the reported homicide total in Brevard County to four since the beginning of the year.
This is a developing story, Check back for further details.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Three killed, two wounded in shooting at Palm Bay apartment complex
