Julian Mendes-Wolf, 28, of Florida was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of attempted first-degree premeditated murder with a firearm, and one count of “shooting a missile into an occupied vehicle”.
On Thursday, June 1 at 11 p.m., Mendes-Wolf allegedly targeted and shot two people in a moving pickup truck, causing the vehicle to flip over and crash. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office reports that first responders initially thought the two individuals in the black pickup truck had been in a single-car crash. However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that they had both been shot. Mendes-Wolf’s bond for shooting a missile into an occupied vehicle was set at $250,000, while bond for the attempted murder charges was withheld.
The victims, Amy Chesser and Scotty McCandless, sustained “devastating, life-threatening injuries”, according to a GoFundMe page set up on their behalf. The page has raised over $18,000 of its $25,000 goal. Both victims were airlifted to Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Meyers, where they continue to fight for recovery.
The warrant issued for Mendes-Wolf’s arrest states that he unlawfully shot a bullet or projectile from a firearm at a vehicle. Mendes-Wolf has an arraignment scheduled for July 17 in the Collier County Jail, and it is not yet known if he has retained an attorney.