Palm Bay police identify alleged victim of man later shot by police

PALM BAY, Fla. — Palm Bay police have identified the victim in a shooting incident last week that ended with the suspect also being shot by responding officers.

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Officers responded just after 9 a.m. Friday for a “suspicious incident” at a home on Biarritz Street NW.

According to police, the responding officers arrived on the scene moments later and reported hearing a gunshot from inside the home.

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That’s when police say the suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Joseph Fleming, exited the home and fired at the officers, leading to an exchange of gunfire.

Investigators say Fleming was still able to briefly escape through the neighborhood, prompting an extensive search of the area.

Eventually, a Brevard County Aviation Unit was able to spot the injured Fleming nearby. He was taken into custody and flown to a local trauma center in critical condition.

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Police say they later found a woman in the home Fleming ran from, dead from an apparent gunshot wound. They identified her Tuesday as 23-year-old Jaquelynn Wray, Fleming’s sister-in-law.

“Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends during this incredibly difficult time,” the police department said in a statement.

Palm Bay Police Department officials also identified the two officers involved in the shooting Tuesday as Thomas Baker and John Neal.

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Both officers have been placed on administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the circumstances surrounding the use of force, as per department policy.

Fleming, who police described as a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history, remains in critical condition at a local hospital.

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