Murray Middle School was placed on lockout as deputies searched for vehicles connected to a shooting about a half-mile away.
STUART, Fla. — A shooting at a tow yard near Murray Middle School prompted a lockout and an active-shooter response Friday as Martin County deputies searched surrounding roads for people who had left the scene before officers arrived.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office said the gunfire occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at a towing facility on Southeast Cove Road, about a half-mile from the school. Although authorities said the incident was not connected to Murray Middle School, the location and initial report prompted deputies to activate a heightened response while school officials restricted access to the campus.
Investigators said the confrontation began after two women from Miami arrived at the tow yard in connection with a vehicle that had been brought there earlier in the day. Two other people later arrived, and an argument developed. Authorities allege one of the women, later identified as 23-year-old Jade Rondon, obtained a firearm and fired multiple shots toward the other group.
The sheriff’s office later said no one was injured by the gunfire, although bullets struck trailers at the property. All four people connected to the confrontation had left the towing facility by the time deputies reached the scene, forcing authorities to search for vehicles rather than make immediate arrests at the yard.
Road patrol deputies, aviation personnel, detectives and other units joined the search. Deputies located the vehicle Rondon was driving on Cove Road near U.S. 1 and attempted to stop it, authorities said. When the vehicle did not stop, deputies used a pursuit intervention maneuver to bring it to a halt. Rondon was then taken into custody.
A second vehicle connected to the incident was later involved in a crash. Sheriff John Budensiek said deputies were not pursuing that vehicle when its driver, identified by authorities as 22-year-old Valerie Valdes, was traveling at high speed and weaving through traffic. The sheriff’s office said Valdes lost control near Osprey Street and U.S. 1. No serious injuries were reported.
The events unfolded while investigators were still trying to determine why several people were focused on the same towed vehicle. The sheriff’s office said the car had been reported stolen after being connected to activity the previous evening and had been recovered Friday morning. Budensiek said investigators believed an argument at the tow yard involved items inside the vehicle, including firearms.
Authorities have charged Rondon with two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and several other offenses, including discharging a firearm in public and aggravated fleeing and eluding. Valdes faces an unregistered-vehicle charge and four counts of reckless driving with injuries. Both women were being held in the Martin County Jail on Saturday.
Detectives continued reviewing video and data evidence and pursuing search warrants as they worked to establish the full sequence of events. The sheriff’s office said additional charges could be filed as the investigation develops.
Author note: Last updated October 3, 2026.