ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A St. Johns County grand jury indicted a suspect in a deadly shooting outside a downtown St. Augustine bar one month after the incident.
Luis Arthur Casado, 30, is now facing charges of manslaughter with a firearm, a first-degree felony, as well as carrying a concealed firearm in a prohibited establishment, a second-degree misdemeanor, in the death of 37-year-old Adam Amoia on May 29 outside Dos Gatos.
Amoia’s family told First Coast News the indictment is one step closer to the justice they’ve been waiting for.
“Not a relief yet, because it’s not over. But we were able to breathe," his brother Leonard Amoia said. "It’s like a nightmare every day. I don’t think it’s something that any of us will ever get over. In time, we’re just going to have to learn to live with it. Right now, we’re just leaning on the strength that Adam had to fight for him."
Casado told officers he shot Amoia several times out of self-defense, according to a police report. He said the victim punched him in the face several times and broke his glasses.
According to an incident report, police responded around 1:51 a.m. near the intersection of Hypolita and Cordova Streets in reference to a person being shot in front of Dos Gatos.
The responding officer reported that when he arrived, he found Amoia laying face down on the southern sidewalk of Hypolita Street with blood coming from him.
Police say that witnesses identified the shooter as a man standing across the street wearing a black suit. He was later identified as Casado.
Casado was initially detained by police but released after he said the shooting was in self-defense. A 28-page police report listed the potential charges of murder and non-negligent manslaughter.
Casado’s attorney Patrick Canan spoke to First Coast News after the indictment was announced Tuesday.
"He has a carry and concealed firearm permit and was in one of our streets at night, minding his own business, when he was ruthlessly attacked by Mr. Amoia and a second person," Canan said.
Story continues below.
Amoia's friends told First Coast News he was there that night celebrating an upcoming wedding where he was supposed to have served as a groomsman. The bride and groom were among those in attendance at a candlelight vigil held in Amoia's memory outside Dos Gatos following his death.
Amoia was known and loved by many in St. Augustine.
“It didn’t matter who you were. He made a difference in your life, and he always tried to make you better," his brother Dominic Amoia explained.
Amoia's family said he was set to take over their local business, Georgie’s Diner.
“We’re going to miss him every single second of every single day," his cousin Rosalina Chryssaidis said. "But the community… the people that come into the diner looking for him...”
Casado was booked into the St. Johns County Jail Tuesday afternoon, but jail records show he was released a couple of hours later on a $52,500 bond.
