Two men were arrested after a fatal shooting that took place in Poinciana over the weekend, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office announced during an afternoon press conference on Tuesday.
According to the County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a shooting incident around 1 a.m. Sunday, located at Doncaster Court, close to the intersection of Marigold and Laurel avenues.
Upon arrival, they found 31-year-old Steven Jesus Perez on the ground, suffering from gunshot wounds. Perez was declared dead at the scene.
The investigation revealed that the shooting occurred following an altercation that escalated during a family gathering. Although Perez reportedly displayed a firearm, he was shot as he was leaving the scene.
Osceola detectives reported that suspects Liam Nicholson, 28, and Maximo Mercado Jr., 41, fled the crime scene in a black vehicle, closely followed by deputies in a helicopter. The suspects were later observed leaving the vehicle on Brookstone Drive, where items, including a pistol, were discarded into a nearby pond.
41-year-old Maximo Mercado and 28-year-old Liam Nicholson were arrested on Monday and face the following charges:
-
Liam Nicholson
- Second-Degree Murder
- Accessory After the Fact
- Discharging Firearm into an Occupied Dwelling
- Tampering with Evidence
- Battery
-
Maximo Mercado, Jr.
- Second-Degree Murder
- Discharging Firearm into an Occupied Dwelling
- Tampering with Evidence
