A shooting incident at Walgreens, located about a mile from the TPC Sawgrass, forced the Players Championship to delay its opening games on Friday, 13 March, for precautionary reasons. This was after a male suspect, later identified as a 32-year-old Christian Joseph Barrios, found his way to the golf course and carjacked a getaway vehicle.
Barrios reportedly shot two people multiple times at the parking lot of Walgreens before briefly staying at the PGA Tour property according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. The male suspect would end up leaving the golf course after carjacking a black BMW.
𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇
— St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (@TeamSJSO) March 14, 2026
Homicide suspect, Christian Barrios (32), has been captured following a coordinated effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies.
Around 10:30 p.m. last night, SJSO… pic.twitter.com/eaEMfXpd5Y
Police eventually disabled the vehicle Barrios carjacked, forcing the 32-year-old suspect to go on foot. St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick shared how canine units were used to track down Barrios into the woods and quickly located him hiding just south of Middle Road near Callahan. He was apprehended at around 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, 14 March, and taken into custody without incident, ESPN reported.
Barrios' Lengthy Criminal History
The shooting incident involving Barrios stemmed from an alleged domestic dispute. However, the worst part of it was that it adds to his criminal record. But as pointed out by Gene Nichols, an attorney who is not affiliated with the case, it was the first involving violence, News 4 Jax reported.
'You can see that the vast majority of his crimes all dealt with some form of theft and/or some form of drug possession. We do not see an extensive history of violence in his past,' Nichols shared.
To back his point, Nichols enumerated how the previous cases of Barrios were handled. That included:
- Bond release
- Probation
- Treatment programs
- Court-ordered conditions
Nichols noticed how Barrios was handed appropriate jail or prison sentences, mostly because of his drug-related crimes. Hence, his violent outburst resulting in the death of the two victims believed to be known to him is a bit surprising.
'Multiple judges have given him opportunities, multiple judges, including in St. Johns County, have sentenced him to what were appropriate jail or prison sentences due to his different drug crimes,' Nichols said. 'He never rose to the level of this awful crime that has been committed now in St. Johns County.'
Barrios' Other Charges
Given the severity of his actions, Barrios will likely be meted out heftier penalties and sanctions. While on parole, he is currently being held without bail and is facing two counts of first-degree murder.
Aside from that, Barrios is also facing the following charges with the corresponding bond as shared by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office on X.
- Burglary (£150,000 ($200,000) bond)
- Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (£75,000 ($100,000) bond)
- Shooting into a conveyance (£75,000 ($100,000) bond)
- Grand theft of a motor vehicle (£75,000 ($100,000) bond)
As of this writing, prosecutors are reviewing the evidence to determine how to proceed with Barrios' case. Regardless, it is clear that the 32-year-old is facing more serious charges because of the fatalities and violence involved.
As for the PGA Tour, the event proceeded as scheduled and opened the third round at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. Hospitality areas were also affected and opened at 11:00 a.m.
