Jose Barroetabena Morejon, a 26-year-old Hispanic man from Crestview, Florida, was killed in a shooting outside the Coyote Ugly nightclub in Destin on May 21, 2021. Deputies responded about 3:30 a.m. after reports of multiple shots in the parking lot and found Morejon and another person with gunshot wounds. Morejon died at the scene; the other victim was taken to hospital.

Investigators determined a fight had broken out after the club closed and that Morejon reportedly fired a weapon recklessly in multiple directions. Witnesses said a 22-year-old man from Montgomery, Alabama, returned fire, discharging six to seven rounds because he perceived a threat to himself and friends. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office corroborated those accounts with scene evidence and bystander video.

The State Attorney’s Office and OCSO concluded the shooting was a justifiable homicide and closed the case; no arrests were made. If anyone has information about people seen leaving in a white newer-model car, a convertible, or a large SUV that night, please share what is known.