Overview
- The shooting occurred Saturday evening at a home on the 2000 block of SE Oxmoor Terrace in Port St. Lucie after multiple 911 calls reported gunfire and a domestic disturbance.
- Authorities say 50‑year‑old Ralph Varela Sr. used an AR‑style .223‑caliber rifle to shoot Elizabeth “Liz” Ortega and was later found dead inside the home from an apparent self‑inflicted gunshot wound.
- Ortega, a 50‑year‑old communications officer with nearly 25 years in emergency communications, was found with multiple gunshot wounds, airlifted to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, and later died.
- The couple were in the process of separating and lived with their adult son, who left the home minutes before the shooting; Ortega’s son is a Palm Beach County Fire Rescue firefighter.
- Detectives continue to process physical evidence and review home surveillance video as the investigation remains active, with Medical Examiner results and funeral arrangements still pending.