An overnight shooting near the site of The Players Championship led officials to delay opening the gates to fans for Round 3 of golf’s “fifth major.”
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office reported that a man shot and killed two people at a Walgreens parking lot Friday, March 13, within a mile from a main parking area for TPC Sawgrass, site of one of the PGA Tour’s biggest golf tournaments. The suspect, identified by St. Johns Sheriff Robert Hardwick as Christian Joseph Barrios, entered PGA Tour property before fleeing and leading law enforcement on a manhunt. Barrios was found and arrested about 8 a.m. Saturday, March 14, in Nassau County north of Jacksonville, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
The search delayed fan entrance to TPC Sawgrass about two hours until 9 a.m., though tee times for the golfers at The Players Championship were unaffected. Here’s what we know.
Why was Players Championship delayed?
After a shooting was reported about 10:30 p.m. Friday night, March 13, the sheriff said the suspect crossed onto TPC Sawgrass property and encountered employees at the tournament site while fleeing, and at one point picked up and then dropped a PGA radio.
Hardwick said he then committed a burglary and stole a BMW, then fled northward as agencies from multiple departments traced the license plate of the stolen vehicle. He said law enforcement in Nassau County pursued and disabled the BMW, but the suspect escaped on foot before his capture in a couple of hours.
The sheriff described the shooting as domestic in nature. Law enforcement officials said they would provide updates on the shooting March 14.
The PGA Tour released a statement before the third round of The Players Championship saying gates would open at 9 a.m. and hospitality venues would open at 11 a.m.
Where did the shooting near Players Championship take place?
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said it received calls about a shooting at the Walgreens pharmacy at Florida A1A and Palm Valley Road, a route taken by thousands of golf spectators, officials and media members to access various parking lots at TPC Sawgrass. The location is also fewer than 1,000 feet east of the PGA Tour Global Home and PGA Tour Studios. Just south and west of those buildings is a large general parking lot for the tournament.
Nassau County, where the suspect was found by police, is north of Jacksonville on the Georgia border, about 30-45 miles from the site of the shooting.
Where is The Players Championship?
The Players Championship is held at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. It’s about 25 miles southeast of Jacksonville off Florida Route A1A and roughly a mile from the Atlantic shore.
Who is Christian Barrios?
Barrios just turned 32 and has an extensive criminal history with at least 27 arrests, according to court records and the sheriff. When not incarcerated, he was living in Duval County, records show.
“His criminal history is embarrassing,” Hardwick said in an early morning briefing, noting Barrios was out of prison on probation. “It makes me sick to my stomach.”
He made reference to the shooting involving Barrios’ girlfriend. Duval County court records show his 26-year-old ex-girlfriend did file an injunction for protection against domestic violence against him last year and granted through October of this year. She stated he smashed her phone, threatened her with a gun and hacked her Facebook account.
Who were the victims in the shooting near TPC Sawgrass?
The two victims have not been identified as of 5:15 p.m. Saturday, March 14. The Sheriff’s Office said both victims were known to the suspect, who traveled there to confront them.
(This story has been updated with a new photo of the arrest.)
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: 2 dead in Walgreens shooting near Players Championship. What we know
Reporting by Scott Butler, Clayton Freeman and Dan Rorabaugh, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
