A quiet Sunday morning at the Harbor Grand boat ramp turned tragic when gunfire rang out, killing a 25-year-old man and prompting a multi-agency investigation.
Witnesses reported hearing gunshots followed by screams at the waterfront area off Palm Beach Boulevard. Mike Dickmon, who lives nearby, said he saw a man in a white shirt carrying a gun fleeing the scene.
“That’s when I heard, I guess, the lady that her boyfriend got killed screaming bloody murder,” Dickmon said.
Dickmon called 911 after spotting the armed man crossing the street and warned neighbors to take cover.
“I said, ‘Get your little girl inside, you know, what the heck's wrong with you? He’s shooting down the road,’” Dickmon recalled.
When Fort Myers police officers arrived, they arrested Yanko Romero, who was allegedly seen throwing a firearm into a nearby creek.
Officers and EMS found Alex Johnson at the boat ramp with gunshot wounds to the neck and head. Despite efforts to save him, Johnson died at the scene.
Johnson’s friend, Devin Pegg, described him as kind and protective.
“He was just a good kid. He just looked out for everyone,” Pegg said.
According to police, Romero's wife said he suffers from mental illness and has received treatment, though he continues to express paranoid beliefs.
Psychologist Dr. Laura Streyffeler said conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder can coexist with anger management or domestic violence issues.
“They could also have other issues ... exacerbated by the mental health issues or coexist,” Streyffeler said.
In the aftermath, some residents are urging each other to take safety into their own hands.
“That’s why I try to tell everybody to get a pistol or a handgun and learn how to use it,” Dickmon said. “That could have solved this problem from happening.”
Authorities in Inkster, Michigan, are now working with Fort Myers police to determine whether Romero is connected to the 2023 stabbing death of his former roommate. Both cases remain under investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers.
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