The Indian River County Sheriff’s Office has disclosed further information regarding the double homicide in Vero Lake Estates shooting on Monday.
The victims, identified as 19-year-old Joseph Mitchel Cardella of Melbourne and 19-year-old Logan James Thompson of Palm Bay, were shot and killed during the incident.
The accused shooter, 17-year-old Jaime C. Mosqueda of Fellsmere, now faces two felony murder charges.
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said Mosqueda and another unidentified witness wanted to buy 1,300 THC vape pens for $3,000 from the men.
Flowers stated that an unidentified witness spoke with deputies, guiding them to the gun’s location and providing a detailed account of the events leading to the shooting. Flowers praised the witness for cooperating with detectives.
“These two kids lost their lives over THC vape pens. It’s crazy. It’s unfortunate,” Flowers said. “We’ve seen multiple deaths over marijuana with young kids. This continues to be a thing.”
According to the witness, they and Mosqueda departed the scene and headed to a residence whose location was not disclosed. Mosqueda discarded the firearm in the woods, reentered the vehicle, left the witness at another location, and then returned to his residence in Fellsmere, as Flowers detailed.
The witness shared the incident with his family, who then took him to the sheriff’s office for interrogation, Flowers explained. Following this, the sheriff’s SWAT team proceeded to Mosqueda’s home.
The incident unfolded when deputies were dispatched to the 7700 block of 105th Court around 3 p.m., responding to reports of a shooting.
Flowers said Mosqueda showed up to buy the THC vape pens and “started firing off rounds.” However, Mosqueda told investigators that the shooting was in self-defense, Flowers said his story fell apart when it was discovered that the victims were unarmed.
The sheriff also mentioned that it seemed Cardella was fleeing from the vehicle and fell in the yard, where he succumbed to his gunshot injuries. Thompson was discovered deceased on the road in front of the vehicle.
Cameras equipped with license plate readers on I-95 indicated that this was the first visit to Indian River County for Cardella and Thompson. According to Flowers, Cardella and Thompson were best friends. But It remained uncertain how Mosqueda knew the two men from Brevard County.
Sebastian Daily will update as more information is provided.
