The arrest affidavit says Tyler Vidro pursued Nathaniel Padgett into a private work area before firing.
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Police said a man charged in the fatal shooting of a FedEx driver cannot claim he stood his ground because he followed the worker into a restricted company lot where he had no lawful reason to be.
The legal dispute is central to the murder case against Tyler Brandon Vidro, who is accused of killing Nathaniel Padgett, 34, outside the FedEx distribution hub on West Blue Heron Boulevard. Vidro told police he feared for his life and used his firearm, according to records. Investigators answered that claim with a detailed timeline, saying Vidro initiated the encounter, kept following Padgett and opened fire at Padgett’s workplace.
The affidavit frames the case around who had the right to be on the property at the moment the shots were fired. Padgett was a FedEx employee returning a work truck to the Riviera Beach hub after driving from the Port St. Lucie area. Vidro, police said, was not an employee and was not authorized to enter the rear parking and loading area. Detectives wrote that the property was restricted private commercial space. That detail matters because Florida self-defense law protects people in places where they may lawfully be, while police said Vidro’s path took him onto property where he did not belong.
According to investigators, the confrontation began before either man reached the FedEx hub. Padgett was driving a FedEx truck on Florida’s Turnpike with his girlfriend riding beside him when Vidro pulled alongside in a gray sedan. Police said Vidro lowered his window, shrugged and raised his hand in a way meant to provoke a confrontation. Padgett did not stop, police said. He continued toward the Blue Heron Boulevard facility. The affidavit said Vidro continued after the truck, turning a highway dispute into a pursuit that ended on private property.
Surveillance footage became the key account after the vehicles reached the facility. Cameras showed Padgett drive onto the FedEx property, followed seconds later by the gray sedan, police said. Vidro stopped in the lot, walked around and moved near the loading bay area. Detectives said his actions made it appear he was waiting for Padgett to leave the building. Padgett later came out and went toward his personal Dodge pickup. Audio from surveillance recorded Vidro saying, “You hit my car,” police said. Padgett denied it and tried to move past him.
The affidavit said Padgett made several attempts to break away from the confrontation. Investigators wrote that he tried to reach his personal truck, then got into the FedEx vehicle and drove to another area of the facility. Vidro followed again, police said. At that point, detectives wrote, Padgett stopped near a private road and picked up a concrete block from the ground. Police described the block as being about the size of a bowling ball. The video showed Padgett holding the block near waist level while speaking to Vidro, according to investigators.
The same footage, police said, did not show Padgett throwing the block or lifting it above his head. Detectives wrote that Padgett told Vidro he had not hit his car and objected to being followed. Then the shots were fired. Police said Padgett was struck seven times, with wounds to his chest, abdomen, arm and leg. Investigators recovered nine 9 mm shell casings. A shot detection system also registered gunfire from the area of 1177 West Blue Heron Blvd. The physical evidence, police said, matched the account that multiple rounds were fired in rapid succession in the restricted lot.
After the shooting, Vidro left the FedEx site and later contacted West Palm Beach police from a Sunoco gas station, records said. He told dispatchers he felt threatened and had to use his firearm. He also said, “I didn’t think to call you guys, but the lawyer told me to,” according to the affidavit. Officers responded to the gas station, confirmed the shooting had occurred at the FedEx facility and spoke with Vidro after advising him of his rights. Police said Vidro admitted he had emptied the magazine of his firearm before asking to speak with a lawyer.
Padgett’s girlfriend made the first emergency call from the scene at about 9:14 p.m. She told dispatchers Padgett had been shot and that they were at the FedEx warehouse. During the call, dispatchers told her not to move him and said help was on the way. Padgett was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center with multiple gunshot wounds. Police said he was pronounced dead at about 11:28 p.m. The call, the surveillance footage and the shell casings were all included in the case file described by investigators.
The charges against Vidro include first-degree murder and aggravated stalking. Police said the stalking count reflects the path of the encounter from the Turnpike to the FedEx property and Vidro’s alleged decision to continue after Padgett after the driver tried to avoid him. The murder count rests on the accusation that Vidro acted with premeditation or another legal basis for first-degree murder under Florida law. Reports from the first appearance said Vidro was taken into custody after the April 16 shooting. A plea had not been clearly reported in the initial accounts.
For prosecutors, the next steps are expected to include formal charging decisions, discovery and review of the video and audio evidence. Defense filings could test the police account of the restricted property, Padgett’s movement with the concrete block and Vidro’s claim that he feared serious harm. Any stand-your-ground argument would likely return to the same facts emphasized in the affidavit: the start of the dispute on the highway, the continued following of the FedEx truck, the suspect’s entry into the lot and the moments before the gunfire.
The case also added a workplace layer to what began as a road encounter. Police said Padgett had reached the place where he was supposed to return his work truck and leave for the night. Instead, the same dispute followed him through the gate and into the loading area. The affidavit described Padgett as trying to disengage at more than one point. That sequence is why investigators wrote that Padgett had the lawful standing in the lot and Vidro did not. In their view, the shooting was not a sudden roadside confrontation but the end of an extended pursuit.
Investigators said Vidro’s self-defense claim was undercut by his alleged pursuit of Padgett, his unauthorized presence at the FedEx hub and video showing Padgett did not throw or raise the concrete block. For now, the case remains pending as of May 10, 2026.
Author note: Last updated May 10, 2026.