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2 arrested after shooting at birthday party
Two men are behind bars, accused of gunning down another man outside a house in Osceola County.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Two men are behind bars, accused of gunning down another man outside a house in Osceola County.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said this gunfire happened during a birthday party celebration at home in Kissimmee. He said everyone there knew each other except for one person from Tampa, who is one of the suspects now behind bars.
Maximo Mercado Jr., 41, and Liam Nicholson, 28, are both facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder.
The sheriff said Mercado was the one who actually shot and killed the victim, identified as Steven Jesus Perez.
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"When you have these types of people that are dangerous, running around in our communities, these are the things that happen. They’re arrested, they’re in jail. Hopefully, they’ll rot there for a good amount of time because we don’t need these people here," Sheriff Lopez said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Nicholson also fired his gun, Sheriff Lopez said, and both ran to a nearby home. Mercado ditched the gun in a pond near his house, according to investigators, but deputies were able to find that weapon.
Mercado and Nicholson stood before a judge in court on Tuesday and are being held at the Osceola County Jail on no bond.
Perez was shot multiple times, detectives said. They are still trying to determine why the fight escalated.