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Inset: Jesse Scott Ellis (Vero Beach Police Deptartment). Main, left to right: Stacie Ellis Mason and Danny Ooley (Indian River County).
A 64-year-old man from Florida, accused of the fatal shooting of his estranged wife and her colleague in a library parking lot, has vanished after reportedly fleeing into the ocean. The incident is being described by police as a “targeted marital issue” potentially linked to an affair.
The suspect, Jesse Scott Ellis, is believed to have shot and killed his wife, 49-year-old Stacie Ellis Mason, along with 56-year-old Danny Ooley, who worked as the assistant director of public works in Indian River County. The tragic event took place early Tuesday morning at the Indian River County Main Library located in Vero Beach.
Police Chief David Currey explained that Mason and Ooley arrived separately at the parking lot, a location they were known to frequent for meetings. Ooley parked his Ford Ranger, and Mason arrived shortly after in her SUV, then joined him in the passenger seat of his vehicle.
Surveillance cameras captured Ellis arriving shortly thereafter, armed with a rifle-style weapon. Investigators report that he approached the truck and opened fire, hitting both victims multiple times from a close distance.
“This was a targeted marital issue that went terribly, terribly wrong,” Currey said during a Wednesday news conference.
Authorities suspect that Mason and Ooley were involved in a romantic relationship, which police have referred to as “essentially an affair.” This relationship is believed to be the driving motive behind the shooting. Currey described the incident as a “crime of passion,” noting that the victims “had been seeing each other for some time, which led to one husband being upset about it.”
Ellis and Mason had been married for 13 years and were in the process of separating and “potentially divorcing,” with plans to sell their home, according to investigators. Ooley was also married, further complicating what police say was an emotionally charged situation that escalated into violence.
After the shooting, Ellis fled the scene in a gray Ford F-150 and drove to nearby South Beach Park. Witnesses later reported seeing a man matching his description enter the ocean “fully clothed” and swim several hundred yards offshore.
Around the same time, fire rescue crews responded to a call about a man in the water. Officials say they made contact with Ellis but did not realize he was connected to the shooting. He reportedly gave a false name, appeared calm, and declined assistance before swimming away.
That encounter is believed to be the last confirmed sighting of Ellis.
Police later located his abandoned truck at the park, prompting a large-scale search involving multiple agencies. Boats, drones, and K-9 units have been deployed as authorities try to determine whether Ellis drowned or managed to leave the water undetected.
“That’s a good question,” Currey said when asked about the suspect’s whereabouts. “Could he have drowned? Potentially, yes. Could he have come back out of the water? Potentially, yes.”
Investigators have also executed search warrants at a residence connected to Ellis, recovering firearms and digital evidence that are now undergoing forensic analysis.
Officials emphasized that the violence appears to have been targeted and that there is no ongoing threat to the public.
In a short interview with NBC News, Ooley’s mother, Mary Ooley, said her son was not cheating on his wife.
“He was not having an affair,” she told the network. “They were there checking for a job they were going to be doing.”
The killings have shaken the community, particularly among county employees. Ooley had spent nearly 25 years working in public service, while Mason had served the county since 2014 as a traffic analyst technician.
Authorities say the investigation remains active as they continue searching for Ellis and working to piece together the full circumstances leading up to the deadly confrontation.