Nathaniel Bernard Jennings, a 19-year-old Black male from Palm Bay, Florida, was fatally shot in downtown Melbourne on May 11, 2025. The shooting happened about 1:51 a.m. near Vernon Place and East New Haven Avenue, close to the Neon Rodeo bar. Officers and Melbourne Fire Rescue provided immediate medical care but Jennings was pronounced dead at Holmes Regional Medical Center at 2:24 a.m.

The suspect arrested is 24-year-old Stephan Dieujuste, a former basketball player at Eastern Florida State College; he has been charged with manslaughter. Police reports say Dieujuste claimed self-defense, alleging Jennings threatened him and tried to lure him into a fight, and that another individual restrained Dieujuste, leading him to retrieve a firearm from his vehicle and shoot Jennings. Surveillance footage and witness statements are under review.

Jennings was a Heritage High School graduate and a freshman defensive lineman at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul, where he recorded 55 tackles in his season. His coach and teammates remembered him as a talented athlete with a positive demeanor. Does anyone have information about that area that night or saw what happened near Vernon Place and East New Haven Avenue?