Crime

Second Man Arrested in Florida Pawn Shop Shooting

CrimeMay 14, 2026

Second Man Arrested in Florida Pawn Shop Shooting

Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force took a 22-year-old man into custody. He was charged with tampering with evidence.

Stock image of police cars with their lights on
On May 5, the U.S. Marshals Task Force in Indian River County, Florida, arrested 22-year-old Tylen Jerome Ryan. Ryan has been charged with tampering with evidence in connection with the murder of Lanessa Rodriguez Vega, who was shot to death April 28 while working at Cash Out Gold & Silver in Fort Pierce, Florida.
Fort Pierce, Fla.—Police have arrested and charged the man deemed a person of interest in the murder of a 35-year-old woman who was shot to death while managing a pawn shop in Fort Pierce, Florida.  

Fort Pierce police announced that 22-year-old Tylen Jerome Ryan of Vero Beach, Florida, was arrested May 5 by the U.S. Marshals Task Force in Indian River County.

Ryan was charged with tampering with evidence and initially was being held in the sheriff’s office jail in Indian River County. 

He was transferred to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office jail on May 7, online records show, and currently is being held on $50,000 bond. 

The shooting happened April 28 at Cash Out Gold & Silver, a pawn shop located on U.S. Highway 1. 

According to police, the store manager, Lanessa Rodriguez Vega (originally identified by police as Lazaro Rodriguez Vega), had been in touch with an employee of another Cash Out location. 

When he was unable to get ahold of her later in the day, he grew concerned and stopped by the Fort Pierce store on his way home from work to check on her. 

He found her lying on the floor covered in blood and called 911 a little after 7 p.m., police said.  

 Related stories will be right here … 

The initial investigation revealed that two men had entered the shop, and police were able to trace their vehicle’s route after it left the pawn shop.

Police found a gun and a discarded magazine clip that led to the April 29 arrest of the suspected shooter, 20-year-old Landen Julian Ballard of Vero Beach, Florida. 

Ballard was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence, and violating his probation.

Fort Pierce police said the investigation into Rodriguez’s murder remains active, and additional charges are pending.

Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to contact the Fort Pierce Police Department at 772-462-6800 or Treasure Coast Crime Stoppers.

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