A quiet neighborhood in Port St. Lucie was disrupted on Monday afternoon when two men were killed in a shooting incident. A 62-year-old man, identified as a neighbor, was hospitalized following a hostage situation that lasted approximately two and a half hours, according to local law enforcement. The incident occurred in the Tropical East community, located off U.S. 1, where police were able to apprehend the suspect.
The incident reportedly stemmed from an ongoing disagreement among neighbors, transforming the peaceful residential area into a scene of emergency. The response involved SWAT teams, crisis negotiators, and drones. The suspect was discovered with a gunshot wound to his chest and was airlifted for medical treatment. The two victims were found separately, one inside his home and the other in a garage. As of Monday night, investigators were notifying relatives and processing three distinct crime scenes.
Law enforcement was initially dispatched around 3:15 p.m. on Monday following reports of gunfire in the 2700 block of SE Tropical East Circle. Upon arrival, officers discovered one man fatally wounded inside a home and another in a nearby garage. The suspected shooter fled into a third home, taking a woman hostage. Crisis negotiators began communicating with the suspect, identified as Paul Maraio. Approximately an hour into the negotiations, the woman was released unharmed.
The standoff continued with Maraio barricaded inside the third home, reportedly armed. He later informed negotiators that he had shot himself. An interior drone was used to confirm his location and condition, after which officers moved in, found him injured, and took him into custody. He was airlifted to a hospital and was alive as of late Monday. If Maraio survives, detectives plan to press multiple charges, including two counts of homicide.
The Tropical East community is located just east of U.S. 1 and a short distance from Mariposa Elementary School. While the school was not involved in the incident, 14 children in aftercare were kept inside until the area was deemed safe. Throughout the afternoon, officers blocked traffic into the neighborhood as tactical teams staged on nearby streets and neighbors watched from their homes.
The dispute among the neighbors had been ongoing, according to Chief Niemczyk, though the timeline leading to Monday’s violence was still being pieced together. Three distinct locations were under investigation: the two homes where the victims were found and the residence where the hostage situation took place. The department’s crime scene unit was collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses.
As of late Monday, the ages of the two deceased men had not been released, pending family notifications and autopsies. The woman taken hostage was evaluated and appeared physically unharmed. No officers discharged their weapons during the retrieval of the suspect. The processing of the crime scenes and the full reopening of the blocked areas were expected to take some time due to the complexity of the situation.
If the suspect is medically cleared, detectives plan to present the case to prosecutors for formal charges. The results from the medical examiner, including the cause and manner of the two deaths, will be included in the case file. The victims’ identities will be released once next of kin are notified. The department plans to share updated information on Tuesday, including any additional evidence collected overnight and a clearer timeline of the events.