Authorities said an isolated domestic shooting killed two longtime partners and posed no continuing threat to nearby residents.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Multiple reports of gunfire and a possible domestic disturbance brought heavily armed officers to a Port St. Lucie neighborhood Saturday evening, where police found a woman mortally wounded outside a home and a man dead inside.
Police later identified the woman as Elizabeth Ortega, 50, and the man as Ralph Varela Sr., 50. Investigators said Varela fatally shot Ortega before dying by suicide. Authorities described the case as an isolated domestic murder-suicide and said there was no known continuing threat to the public.
Officers responded at about 7:40 p.m. to the 2000 block of Oxmoor Terrace after receiving several 911 calls. Neighbors told a local television station they heard about four gunshots, followed several minutes later by another shot. Police closed off the area as officers approached the residence.
Cellphone video provided to the station showed officers surrounding the home with their weapons drawn and repeatedly ordering Varela to come outside. Police also used a drone to examine the interior before officers entered, according to investigators.
Ortega was found outside with multiple gunshot wounds and was flown to a hospital, where she died. Police said surveillance footage showed her running from the residence and reaching the front yard while Varela continued firing. Investigators said he then went back inside.
Varela was later found dead in the home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. Investigators recovered evidence from the residence, including the AR-style rifle that authorities said was used in the shooting.
The couple had been in a long-term relationship and lived at the home with their adult son, according to police. Investigators said the son had left at about 7:30 p.m. to pick up food, shortly before officers began receiving emergency calls. Another local report said the couple was in the process of separating.
The shooting drew a large law enforcement presence near Oxmoor Terrace, Triumph Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway while detectives secured the scene. Police advised drivers to avoid the surrounding area Saturday night as investigators conducted interviews and collected evidence.
Authorities said they had received no report of an argument or disturbance inside the residence in the moments before the shooting. Police have not announced a confirmed motive or released further information about the couple’s circumstances before the gunfire.
The Police Department said detectives were continuing their investigation and awaiting the medical examiner’s report. No additional danger to the neighborhood had been identified, and the case remained active as of Monday.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 3, 2026.