On February 21, 2024, 19-year-old Jeanariun St. Fort was fatally shot at the Lake Mangonia Apartments in West Palm Beach, in the 1100 block of Australian Avenue. Officers responded to reports of gunfire; St. Fort was taken to a hospital and died shortly before midnight.

The West Palm Beach Police Department identified two suspects. Surveillance video and fingerprints on a silver Ford Escape tied Demario Jones to the scene; he admitted being present but denied shooting St. Fort and was arrested the Monday after the shooting. Terneal Smith, 21, was arrested later and charged with first-degree murder after a lost cellphone and a black-and-white sandal found at the scene linked him to the footage; a photo on the recovered phone showed Smith wearing the same sandals and a black hooded sweatshirt seen in surveillance. Both men face first-degree murder charges and are being held without bond.

Residents said the arrests brought relief to a community concerned about safety after multiple recent violent incidents. If anyone has information about St. Fort or the shooting, please share what is known with the West Palm Beach Police Department.