3rd Suspect Arrested In Ellenton Outlet Mall Shooting: Manatee Sheriff

Updated: 4:41 p.m., Wednesday

ELLENTON, FL — The third suspect in Sunday afternoon’s shooting of an 18-year-old man at the Ellenton Premium Outlets has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, according to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office news release.

The 17-year-old suspect turned himself in at the MCSO operations center Tuesday afternoon. A second 17-year-old suspect was arrested Monday night during a traffic stop in the 300 block of 12th Street West in Palmetto. Both were booked into the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center, the agency said.

While MCSO released the names of both 17-year-old suspects, it is Patch's policy not to identify those in the juvenile court system.

Another suspect, Octavio Banos, 18, was taken into custody at his home earlier Monday, around 4:30 a.m., and charged with attempted murder in the shooting, the sheriff’s office said.

A third suspect has also been identified and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, the agency added.

The victim, whose name is being withheld under Marsy’s Law, remains hospitalized in stable condition.

The victim was shopping with a friend Sunday around 2:30 p.m. when he was approached by the three suspects, who he knows. As he and his friend walked away from them, they began to argue with the victim. He was later approached by the three again, near the parking lot, and another argument started, according to the sheriff's office.

During this confrontation, one of the suspects pulled out a gun and shot at the victim. Though the teen ran away from the gunfire, he was hit in the leg/groin area, officials said. The suspects got into a small, black car and drove away from the outlet mall.

EMS brought the victim to Blake Medical Center. He’s expected to survive, the sheriff’s office said.

The shooting was a targeted attack and an isolated incident, so there was no threat to shoppers, deputies said. While the motive of the shooting is unknown, the victim and the suspects have a history of not getting along.

Detectives have identified two of the three suspects in Sunday’s shooting. Several pieces of evidence were collected after deputies, with the assistance of SWAT, executed a search warrant at Banos’ Palmetto home. The car used in the crime was located at another home near the mall.