Former Vero Beach Mayor Craig Fletcher dead at 79 of self-inflicted gunshot, police say

VERO BEACH — A two-time Vero Beach mayor died from what police said was a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home Sunday evening.

Paramedics and police officers were called to the Avalon Avenue residence around 6:30 p.m. by a woman who said she found her husband with a gunshot wound in a bedroom.

Master Police Officer Darrell Rivers said Allen Craig Fletcher, 79, who went by Craig, was pronounced dead at 6:39 p.m. from a head wound.

Fletcher was twice mayor of Vero Beach from 2002 to 2003 and 2012 to 2013 and held four terms on the City Council between 2000 and 2014. He served as mayor 20 years after his father, Alfred Fletcher.

Former mayor's arrest: Craig Fletcher charged with assault after dispute with lawn care worker

From July 2019: Fletcher begins veterans court to get assault charge dropped

Rivers said Fletcher’s wife called 911 and said she found him as she went into a bedroom to look for movies. She told detectives he asked her to look for movies for them to watch and became angry because she couldn’t find one.

She said he went into a bedroom, slammed the door and several minutes later she heard a loud noise.

Detectives talked with another family member at the residence who said Fletcher had repeatedly made threats to shoot himself and also made threats to shoot his wife.

“(The family member) explained Vero Beach police officers had filed a risk protection order several years ago because of his behavior … and the judge denied it,” according to Detective Jennifer Brumley in the report.

Florida’s so-called “red flag” law, was enacted in March 2018 after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland a month earlier.

The law allows law enforcement agencies to ask judges to temporarily seize firearms from people who show warning signs of violence

The last time police were at the home was in late 2021, Rivers said, when officers were called because of an argument between Fletcher and tree trimmers. Rivers said that instance did not involve a gun.

In July 2019 Fletcher was ordered to attend veterans court on an aggravated assault charge stemming from accusations he pointed a loaded handgun at a lawncare manager who knocked on the door of his home following a dispute with workers.

His attorney at the time said Fletcher was a U.S. Army veteran during the Vietnam conflict.

A veteran’s court program outcome can include counseling or therapy and is a collaboration between courts and the Department of Veterans Affairs, a circuit clerk felony division official said. The charge was dropped and removed from state records.

Among many issues before him over the years, Fletcher signed an initial agreement in 2013 to take Vero Beach out of the electric business. That sales agreement eventually fell through because at the time the city couldn’t get out of its other contracts. FPL bought the electric system in 2018.

Fletcher also worked to preserve from development islands just south of Indian River Shores within the Indian River Lagoon. He signed a deal in 2003 that preserved the Lost Tree Village Islands.

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 any time day or night, or chat online.

Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Craig Fletcher, former Vero Beach mayor dead of self-inflicted gunshot