Teen double murder suspect back in Manatee County, cops say

A Bradenton teenager implicated in the shooting deaths of two friends late last month has been transported back to Manatee County from Colorado, the sheriff’s office reported.

Joe Clerjuste, 17, turned himself in at the Denver Police Department on July 26.

As of Sunday, he was in custody at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Manatee.

Clerjuste is charged with murder in connection with the shooting deaths of Caleb Bowman, 18, and Kemundrey Pittmon, 18 outside a Bradenton shopping last month. The teens all knew each other, leaving detectives and families questioning what led to the shooting.

The murder case isn’t the first time this year that he has faced a gun-related charge, the Bradenton Herald found.

On Feb. 21 — a week after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland — Clerjuste was charged with making threats against a school after police said he posted a Snapchat video showing him holding a gun while driving around and approaching Manatee High School. Clerjuste is a former Manatee High student.

The threat was reported to a school resource officer at the school and Clerjuste was eventually arrested by the sheriff’s office. He was ordered to be held at the juvenile detention center for a 21-day hold.

This story was originally published August 5, 2018 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Teen double murder suspect back in Manatee County, cops say."