Background: The We Buy Gold store location in Fort Pierce, Fla., where Lanessa Rodriguez was found dead (Google Maps). Inset (left): Landen Ballard (St. Lucie County Sheriff). Inset (right): Lanessa Rodriguez (Facebook).
A recent incident in Florida has left the community in shock after a man engaged in casual conversation with a store manager before allegedly pulling a gun and fatally shooting her.
Landen Ballard, aged 20, is currently held at St. Lucie County Jail, facing charges of first-degree murder and evidence tampering. According to a report from Law&Crime, Ballard, accompanied by two unidentified individuals, visited the We Buy Gold store in Fort Pierce. The store manager, 35-year-old Lanessa Rodriguez, became the tragic victim after a seemingly normal chat turned deadly when Ballard allegedly brandished a firearm and shot her multiple times before fleeing with a female accomplice.
The woman who drove Ballard to the scene reportedly informed police that during their escape, Ballard was “boasting” and questioned, “Is it bad that I have no remorse?”
Authorities were alerted at 7:12 p.m. on April 28 about a potential fatality at the We Buy Gold store. Concern arose when a coworker from another location, unable to reach Rodriguez, went to check on her. There, they discovered Rodriguez tragically lying in a pool of blood behind her desk.
Upon arrival, law enforcement discovered multiple bullet casings and evidence of gunfire on the walls. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at the scene.
Later that evening, around 11 p.m., a woman claiming to be with Ballard at the time of the crime contacted authorities in Vero Beach. When questioned at the Fort Pierce Police Department, she revealed that Ballard had reached out to her earlier that day with intentions to sell a gold pendant. She indicated that Ballard had previously communicated with Rodriguez, who had even offered him a job opportunity.
According to the warrant, the woman who drove stayed in the car while Ballard and the other unnamed man went inside the store. She told police that when Ballard and the other man came out and got back in the car, Ballard said he shot Rodriguez twice then “finished his clip.” During their ride, Ballard allegedly asked, “Is it bad that I have no remorse?”
The woman told police that Ballard allegedly discarded the gun and magazine out the passenger side window while they drove. Police later recovered the 9mm handgun on the side of the road. She said Ballard allegedly planned to return to the store so he could rob it, and told the woman to “comply or she would be killed and left in the woods if she refused.”
The three reportedly went back to the store, but upon seeing police activity there, they returned to Vero Beach, Florida. After the woman dropped Ballard and the other man off, she went straight to the police.
The alleged shooting was captured on surveillance cameras inside the store. According to the warrant, Ballard came into the store and sat across from Rodriguez. The two “begin to engage in casual conversation,” as if they had previously known each other. Ballard was seen “fiddling with his phone” and “bounc[ing] his leg.” Police said he then produced a black firearm that was out of Rodriguez’s view. As Ballard started to wield the gun, his conversation with Rodriguez continued.
After the two spoke for between two and five minutes, Ballard allegedly raised the gun and fired one shot at Rodriguez, hitting her in the shoulder. She stood up, and Ballard allegedly fired three more shots that hit Rodriguez in the chest. She fell to the floor as Ballard emptied his magazine. After Ballard and the other man left, Rodriguez was seen trying to reach for a phone to call for help in her final moments.
The woman called Ballard while she was at the police station for a second interview. During the call, police said he once again said he had no remorse for the shooting. He also told the women that he was at his parents’ house and was planning to leave for New York.
Ballard was arrested at his parents’ house and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence. He is being held without bond at the St. Lucie County Jail. His next court date was not available.
According to reporting by local news outlet TCPalm, Rodriguez, a transgender woman and fixture on the drag queen circuit, was remembered by her friends as an “incredible person with a huge heart” with a family who loved her. Police identified Rodriguez using her birth name, Lazaro Rodriguez Vega.
