The shooting near TPC Sawgrass delayed tournament access, sent deputies across two counties and left prosecutors with a newly indicted murder case.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Hours before spectators were due back at The Players Championship, deputies were still hunting a man they say opened fire in a Walgreens parking lot nearby, killing Melissa Wood and Jason Chatham and setting off a search that ended with Christian Joseph Barrios in custody.
That overlap between a high-profile sports corridor and a deadly domestic violence case gave the shooting unusual visibility from the start. Officials had to manage both a homicide investigation and a public event footprint around TPC Sawgrass. Since then, the story has expanded from emergency response to prosecution, with Barrios, 32, now indicted on two first-degree murder counts and investigators laying out a route that moved from a pharmacy lot to golf property, a stolen BMW and a crash in Nassau County.
The first sign to the wider public was operational, not legal. Authorities said gates at The Players did not open on their normal schedule the morning of March 14 because officers were still searching for the suspect. The shooting had happened about 10:30 p.m. the night before at the Walgreens at 860 A1A North near Palm Valley Road, roughly a mile from the course. Sheriff Rob Hardwick said the attack appeared tied to a domestic dispute. Witnesses and residents described helicopters overhead, a flood of squad cars and a level of violence that felt jarring in a part of St. Johns County more often associated with tournament traffic, hotels and upscale subdivisions than with a homicide scene outside a pharmacy.
Investigators later identified the dead as Wood, 46, and Chatham, 42, both of Atlantic Beach. Deputies said both were shot multiple times while in or near a vehicle in the parking lot and were taken to hospitals, where they died. Early police statements identified Barrios as the suspect and said he knew the victims. Hardwick said K-9 units followed him onto nearby TPC Sawgrass property after the shooting. Authorities also said he made contact with workers in the area, handled a PGA Tour radio and continued moving north. The public account that followed turned the golf grounds into part of the crime narrative, not because the shooting happened there, but because the escape path and search pushed the investigation into one of Florida’s most recognizable sports settings.
The arrest records added detail missing from the first overnight briefings. According to the warrant, Barrios asked his mother for a ride to the Walgreens because he believed Wood would be there with another man. She told detectives he got out as soon as he spotted Wood’s car, and she heard multiple shots moments later. Investigators said an empty holster was left in her back seat. They also said Barrios’ cellphone later pinged near TPC Sawgrass. By about 3 a.m., according to the warrant, he showed up wet and frantic at a Jacksonville home belonging to people who appeared to know him, asked for clothes and a phone, and said he had shot someone, fired one full magazine, reloaded and fired again. Those details have become central because they tie motive, movement and alleged admissions into one timeline.
From there, the story shifted from neighborhood fear to a regional pursuit. Investigators said someone broke into a nearby home through a sliding glass door and stole a black BMW X3 from the garage. Nassau County deputies later found the SUV near Landfill Road and U.S. 1. Authorities said Barrios initially pulled over, then sped off, drove through red lights at more than 100 mph, crashed near County Road 108 and Middle Road, and ran into the woods. The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, state agriculture officers and St. Johns deputies formed a perimeter. He was captured shortly before 8 a.m. March 14.
Only after the search ended did the victim-centered accounts begin to surface. Wood’s brother described her in a fundraiser as a mother of two and a new grandmother, saying relatives were trying to cover funeral costs and sudden bills. Her daughter later told WOKV that she rejected the idea that her mother had been unfaithful and believed Wood may have been trying to help Barrios. She also said he called her the night of the shooting sounding deeply distressed. Chatham’s family remembered him online as someone who brought energy and adventure into ordinary moments. Those voices did not change the basic accusation, but they shifted the story from police movement and tournament disruption to the two lives that were cut short.
The legal track has since hardened. Barrios was originally booked on two first-degree murder counts and other allegations that included burglary of an occupied dwelling, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, shooting into a conveyance and grand theft of a motor vehicle. He entered a written not-guilty plea, and on March 31 the State Attorney’s Office said a grand jury indicted him on two first-degree murder counts. The office identified Sarah Thomas as the assigned prosecutor. News4JAX reported that Barrios had been arrested 27 times before this case, mostly on drug and theft-related matters, and was being held without bond. Publicly available materials reviewed for this article did not show a final decision on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
The corridor around TPC Sawgrass has returned to its usual traffic, but the criminal case is only at its opening stage. The next step is the court process in St. Johns County, where prosecutors will test whether the fast-moving evidence trail can carry the case from indictment to trial.
Author note: Last updated April 13, 2026.