Reward upped to $8K in cold case shooting of a SUR 13 gang member in Bradenton
More than seven years later, a cone of silence remains around who shot a known SUR 13 gang member on an early Saturday morning at a backyard bar in east Bradenton.
Samuel “Spanky” Conde, 25, was gathered with others at the backyard bar in the 3600 block of Ninth Street East in the early morning hours of Dec. 21, 2014.
The bar was known for years for selling alcohol and being the scene of loud gatherings at all hours of the night, especially after other bars were closed.
Conde was found lying in the driveway when deputies came to the home after receiving 911 calls reporting the gunshots. He was rushed to Manatee Memorial Hospital, where he later died.
Detectives received few tips about the shooting that also left one other man injured.
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office announced that the reward for information leading to an arrest is now $8,000, thanks to additional money being offered by the Gold Star Club of Manatee County.
Anyone with information on the case can call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011. Or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, tips can be submitted to Manatee Crime Stoppers by calling 866-634-8477 (TIPS) or online at ManateeCrimeStoppers.com.
Conde’s brother — a member of a rival gang Westside Locos — was also killed in a gang-related shooting outside a bar.
Gabriel Conde, 39, was hanging at Tommy Knockers, 5627 14th St. W., Bradenton with some fellow members of the Westside Locos on June 10, 2018, when two members of the street gang Norte 14 walked in. The Norteños, as Norte 14 members commonly call themselves, began “mean mugging” Conde and the other Lokz, as the Westside Locos refer to themselves.
Gang signs and words were exchanged between both groups.
Roberto Jimenez Jr., one of the Norteños, and one of the Lokz argeed to fight it out in the parking lot. Meanwhile, Jimenez’s ex-stepfather and fellow Norteños, Anthony Lugo-Vazquez, armed himself with a gun.
Lugo-Vazquez began waving his gun around, trying to start a fight with Conde, but Conde threatened with shooting him first.
But Lugo-Vazquez fired first. He as later arrested and charged with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Those criminal charges are still pending and Lugo-Vazquez is currently scheduled to stand trial in May.
This story was originally published January 18, 2022 at 11:31 AM.
