Man arrested for killing a woman and wounding her brother in Clewiston

CLEWISTON, Fla. — Police say suspect Juan Vega killed a woman and shot her brother in Hendry County on Wednesday night.

Hendry County Sheriff's Office

Clewiston police officers responded to 533 West Alverdez Avenue in reference to a report of gunshots.

Officers found two gunshot victims, an unresponsive 36-year-old Hispanic female, and a 31-year-old Hispanic male. The two victims were determined to be siblings.

Both victims were taken to the hospital, where the woman later died, and the man is in stable condition.

Odalls Zamora owns the house where police say the woman was murdered and was home when it happened.

"We were sitting there at the table eating. Somebody must have called her, it must have been him, and she walked out. And then I heard it - I thought it was somebody throwing fireworks," says Zamora.

“We heard gunshots and I opened the door and I see him pointing it. And I shut my door - I was afraid he’d shoot me too.”

Witnesses identified the shooter as 38-year-old Juan Vega and they told police he fled the home in a vehicle.

A Sergeant with the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle traveling toward LaBelle on State Road 80. After a brief vehicle pursuit and with the assistance of a Taser, the suspect, Juan Vega was taken into custody.

Tito Nieves, the Clewiston Police Commander, says this domestic incident has affected everyone in the small Hendry County community.

"We pride ourselves in being a small town, and pride ourselves in knowing our community, serving our community," says Commander Nieves.

“They’ve been here all their lives, so everybody’s a family. We never expected this to happen," adds Zamora.

Investigators say they found a 22 caliber rifle, the same caliber believed to be used in the homicide, inside the suspect’s Dodge Ram pick-up truck.

Clewiston Police Department says the preliminary information suggests this is a domestic-related incident as the suspect and the female victim have children together. Among other family members, there were two young children in the home at the time of the shooting. The Department of Children and Families has been notified of the incident.

The suspect, Juan Vega is being held at Hendry County Jail on charges of homicide, attempted homicide, and resisting without violence.