Eril Merius, a 34-year-old Haitian man from Fort Pierce, Florida, was shot to death on March 5, 2020. Born May 22, 1985, in Lago Nave, Haiti, he had lived in Fort Pierce for 22 years and worked as a laborer for the Stanley Steamer Company. He was known by the alias Fresh for his distinctive style of dress.

Police were called that evening to a shooting near a two-story building on the west side of North 18th Street. Merius was found with a single gunshot wound to the middle of his forehead with an apparent exit wound to the upper left portion of his head. He was taken to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators say Merius had been involved in an argument with 34-year-old Jabarie Junior Orelien of Fort Pierce. Witnesses reported past conflicts between the men but thought those issues had been resolved. On the day of the shooting Orelien allegedly struck Merius with the butt of a handgun, stepped back, cocked the weapon and fired two shots, one striking Merius in the head. A nearby witness playing dominoes identified Orelien in a police photo lineup.

Did anyone who knew Eril or saw the area that night notice anything that could help explain what led to the confrontation?