A convicted felon in Florida has been charged by police for the illegal possession of a firearm after he shot and killed a man in self-defense who allegedly threatened him with a machete over the weekend when a heated Mother’s Day morning domestic dispute spilled from one home over into neighboring yards with fatal consequences.
In the incident that went down in the very early hours on Sunday morning, Bradenton Police officers responded to a reported shooting at around 3:30 a.m. ET in the 700 block of 11th Avenue E where they found a 31-year-old man who had been struck twice by bullets and who would later die from his wounds after EMS workers transported him to a local hospital, according to Fox13 News.
Bruce Brooks, a 35-year-old felon who fled the scene after the shooting was initially sought by police for questioning and who was not at the time considered a suspect, contacted investigators with the Manatee County Homicide Task Force and was later charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
On the morning of the incident, the victim was reportedly engaged in a heated argument outside of the home that escalated into shouting at other nearby residents, and at some point, he grabbed the machete, a tool that is typically used for clearing dense brush, and allegedly brandished it at neighbors in a threatening manner. Brooks, who had been sleeping outside in a carport was awakened and upon seeing the threat, allegedly pulled out a handgun and busted two caps into the attacker’s chest, fatally wounding the assailant.
(Video: YouTube/WFLA)
“It was a shame that they’re killing each other and this gun violence needs to stop,” neighbor Shakia Davis told reporters for a local news outlet.
“According to Brooks, and multiple witnesses on the scene, shortly before 3:30 a.m., the 31-year-old victim was involved in a domestic argument outside his home, which escalated into the victim yelling at neighbors. The victim then armed himself with a machete, entered a neighboring yard, and approached Brooks, sleeping in the home’s carport. Brooks woke up, saw the victim coming with the machete, and shot the victim with a handgun in self-defense. Brooks, who has a prior felony conviction, left the scene but later contacted the Homicide Task Force,” the Bradenton Police announced in a statement.
“This is a case of self-defense, however, the shooter, Bruce Brooks, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon,” the police said in a press statement.
The identity of the dead man has not been released due to Marsy’s Law which protects the names of crime victims.
“The investigation in [sic] ongoing. Anyone with information on this case can contact Detective Jeff Beckley at [email protected] or Detective Todd Freed at [email protected]. You can also call BPD at 941-932-9300,” Bradenton Police advise on their Facebook page. “To remain anonymous and eligible for a cash reward of up to $3,000, call Crime Stoppers (toll-free) at 1-866-634-8477 (TIPS) or send an anonymous E-Tip through manateecrimestoppers.com.”
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