Brevard deputy, suspect identified in shooting

Update, 5:30 p.m.

Brevard County Public Safety Charity, Inc. is accepting donations for Deputy Smith. Those interested in donating should contact Deputy Robert T. Rose at 321-480-8250 or robert.rose@bcso.us. They can also donate via PayPal through the group’s Facebook page.

Rose added that they received “phone calls of love and prayer and support from all over the country and we have had thousands of hits on our Facebook page” in just a little over an hour on Friday afternoon.

“He is one of the finest we have at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. He is a great husband, great father and a very, very good deputy,” said Rose.

Update, 1:40 p.m.

The identities of a critically wounded Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputy and the suspect who shot him Thursday night in Port St. John have been released.

The deputy, identified as agent John "Casey" Smith, has undergone several surgeries for extensive injuries and his condition is listed as critical and unstable.

The suspect in the shooting has been identified as John Franklin Derossett, 65. He is related to the female suspect taken into custody on solicitation of prostitution, Mary Ellyn Derossett, 42. She was present at the time of the shooting on Covina Street around 9:30 p.m. when deputies arrived after complaints of prostitution in the area.

The sheriff's office also identified agents Peter Stead and Jason Roberts as having assisted during and after the shooting.Smith, an award-winning deputy, has been with the sheriff's office since 2009 and is an investigative agent in the criminal investigations division.

“I couldn't have been more proud of our team and community for the incredible support for Agent Smith and his family during this difficult time," Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a release. "Our BCFR partners were incredible as they did everything possible to provide Casey with a fighting chance! Our BCSO family has Casey in our thoughts and prayers and we ask that tonight you hold him in your prayers as well."

Update, 11:50 a.m.

Mary Ellyn Derossett, 42, was arrested and charged with soliciting another for prostitution, a misdemeanor, at the residence on Thursday evening.

She is currently being held on $500 bond in the Brevard County Jail.

Update, 9:45 a.m.

The Brevard County sheriff's deputy who was shot multiple times Thursday night in Port St. John remains listed in critical condition, and he is undergoing surgery at an undisclosed Central Florida trauma center, Cpl. Dave Jacobs said.

The suspected shooter remains hospitalized in stable condition, Jacobs said.

The identities of the deputy and the suspect will be released at 1 p.m., along with any investigative updates, he said.

Other deputies involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave, as is common practice during deputy-involved shootings.

After the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and sheriff's detectives wrap up their parallel investigations, their findings will be presented to the State Attorney's Office.

-- Rick Neale, FLORIDA TODAY

Update, 8:35 a.m.

Earlier this morning, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey posted a Facebook message asking residents to keep the injured deputy and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

"Our BCSO family is standing strong with his wife and children as we all face this difficult time together. We are extremely grateful for the overwhelming number of calls we have received from our citizens who have offered their thoughts and prayers for his recovery. I want to personally thank and commend the actions of Brevard County Fire Rescue who without question gave our Deputy a chance to survive through their life saving actions," Ivey wrote.

-- Rick Neale, FLORIDA TODAY

Update, 7:50 a.m.

The house is a light peach-pink color. There's a University of Kentucky sign hanging in the window and a Victory Baptist Church sign posted in the yard

At least seven crime scene technicians and three investigators are outside. Also, five crime lab vans and the big mobile crime lab truck are parked here. The yard is littered with yellow evidence markers. The highest marker number we see is 42.

Investigators are wearing gloves and carrying clipboards.

"It's a neighborhood in flux," said Joan Smith, who has lived on Covina Street for 36 years. "We used to have block parties. All the neighbors were friendly. It's not like that anymore.

"It was a nice neighborhood. I think it's the drug culture," Smith said

-- Jessica Saggio, FLORIDA TODAY

Update, 7:20 a.m.

A mobile crime lab is at the scene of last night's shooting, which left a Brevard County sheriff's deputy in critical condition. Investigators are roaming the property. Yellow markers indicating spots where evidence was discovered dot the yard and street on the property where the shooting took place, near Alcazar Avenue and Covina Street in Port St. John.

This neighborhood is just south of Fay Boulevard, between U.S. 1 and the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.

Neighborhood kids are trying to get to bus stop, but the crime scene is blocking them.
Neighbors are congregating near the scene, trying to figure out what happened. Some aren't aware. Some neighbors heard gunshots. Some who heard the shooting thought it was the Knights Armament or someone practicing with a firearm.

"The people on the end just moved in and they probably think this is the wild, wild West. It's a quiet neighborhood, mostly older people. I slept right through it," said Ed McDaniel, a neighbor.

-- Jessica Saggio, FLORIDA TODAY

Original story

A Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputy is in critical condition after being shot late Thursday night in Port St. John.

Deputies were fired on by a male suspect at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday night when they arrived at Covina Street, which is south of Fay Boulevard and west of U.S. 1, in response to reports of prostitution. The suspect was wounded and is in stable condition at a local hospital.

As of 12:30 a.m. Friday, the deputy was still in surgery at a local hospital.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and the sheriff's office family at this time," Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said during a late-night press conference.

Ivey, who described the shooting as an ambush, said the suspect opened fire on deputies as they approached the house. Deputies returned fire and a SWAT team and robot helped clear the residence.

Ivey said deputies were wearing clearly marked tactical vests and were in the neighborhood responding to complaints of prostitution.

The sheriff's office and Titusville police officers also arrested a female prostitution suspect who was at the residence at the time of the shooting.

Ivey did not disclose the names of anyone involved.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has been notified of the shooting and will be conducting a parallel investigation.

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