Male groom found shot to death at Palm Beach Downs

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said an unidentified male was found shot to death at the Palm Beach Downs Training Center in Delray early Saturday morning.

Palm Beach Downs is a privately owned, satellite training facility that serves as the winter home for trainers Todd Pletcher and George Weaver along with several other smaller stables. Pletcher, who was in New York on Saturday, confirmed the dead man was a groom currently in his employ.

“I don’t have any real information at this time other than he was a groom who started working for us in November. The Sheriff’s Office is not releasing his name,” Pletcher said. “It’s a tragic situation. He was a very good employee. We’re all saddened.”

A member of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Public Information Office told Daily Racing Form late Saturday afternoon that “officers responded to a shooting at 4 a.m. and found an adult male, deceased at the scene. The name of the deceased was being withheld on request of the family, that they had no suspects or motive at the current time, and that detectives were still investigating.”