Police have captured a man suspected of killing two people on Friday night about a mile from TPC Sawgrass, the venue for the Players Championship. The incident caused a delay in opening the gates to the public for the third round of the tournament.
St Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick identified the suspect as Christian Barrios, 32, who turned 32 on Saturday. Barrios allegedly shot two people multiple times around 10:30pm on Friday in the parking lot of a Walgreens store, in what authorities described as a domestic violence situation. The victims, both known to Barrios, were taken to hospital where they died.
Canine units pursued Barrios onto the TPC Sawgrass property. Hardwick said Barrios picked up a PGA Tour radio and later dropped it. He then stole a black BMW, leading Nassau County authorities on a chase that ended with the car crashing into woods. Barrios fled on foot before being found and taken into custody.
The PGA Tour cited “operational considerations” in deciding not to open the gates until 9am on Saturday, a delay of about two hours. The third round began at 8:15am as scheduled, but hospitality areas did not open until 11am.
Sheriff Hardwick noted that Barrios had a long criminal history. The investigation is ongoing.
