On the night of February 25, 2026, in the small city of Pahokee, Florida, a wave of violence left two men dead, including 40-year-old Francisco Pacheco. The events unfolded when deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office were called to a shooting at a residence on Booker Place shortly after 10:00 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Pacheco and another man, 37-year-old Henry McClean Jr., both deceased from gunshot wounds. Pacheco was remembered by his sister as a compassionate and humble man, well-known and loved within the community.
The violence did not end there. Minutes after the initial discovery, another shooting was reported at a nearby home, followed by a third at a convenience store where a man was wounded but survived. As law enforcement was securing one of the crime scenes, the suspect returned to the area in a black SUV. He proceeded to intentionally drive into a deputy, throwing him approximately 40 feet. The suspect then exited his vehicle and approached the injured deputy with a handgun.
The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Charles McCloud Jr. In the ensuing confrontation, the injured deputy, along with a second deputy who had arrived at the scene, fired their weapons, fatally striking McCloud. Authorities later revealed that McCloud had an extensive criminal history. The motive for the deadly rampage remains under investigation, though family members of the victims have indicated that the suspect and the victims knew each other.
The injured deputy was hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in conjunction with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office and the sheriff's office's Violent Crimes Division, has opened an investigation into the series of shootings and the subsequent deputy-involved shooting. As the suspect was killed at the scene, there will be no arrests or trial in connection with the deaths of Francisco Pacheco and Henry McClean Jr.
