Port St Lucie shooting leaves 3 dead over dog dispute, including a 13 year old girl, a next door neighbor, & a man thought to be the teen’s father after court decision ruled dog dangerous.
Three people are dead, including a 13-year-old Florida girl who on Monday shot dead by her next door neighbor following an ongoing argument about his dog. Also shot dead was a man, thought to be the teen girl’s father.
A third person, identified as the shooter was also killed after responding police officers arrived at a Port St Lucie residence and exchanged gunfire with the un-named man who shot and injured a police officer, authorities said.
Port St. Lucie Police said a girl called 911 at around 12:20 p.m. to say there was a man in her home who she thought had shot her parents dead after he received a court order related to the dog, TCPalm.com reported.
Cops found the suspect inside the home of the teen girl who was found unresponsive at the scene. Also found at a garage at the residence was a deceased adult male. The un-named next door neighbor was shot dead after engaging in a shootout that left one officer injured, said assistant chief Richard Del Toro.
The un-identified shooter had apparently been upset when earlier on Monday his dog was declared dangerous and vicious in court. ‘He went over there to confront his neighbors and this is what happened,’ Del Toro said according to a report via WPTV-5.
3rd UPDATE: 3 people dead on scene, including suspect. 2 victims transported to hospital for treatment. 1 PSL Ofcr shot- non-life-threatening, other PSL Offcr being medically treated; both doing well. PSLPD investigating homicide, SLCSO investigating Ofcr/Dep involved shooting. https://t.co/oJ0pQPq1yz pic.twitter.com/3OnEygtfXo
— Port St. Lucie PD (@PSLPolice) July 6, 2020
Ongoing arguments over ‘dangerous dog’
The alleged shooter died, though Del Toro said it wasn’t yet clear whether he had shot himself or been killed.
Another man in the home was found dead when officers arrived, and the teenage girl was injured. She died at a hospital.
The relationship between the deceased man and the girl wasn’t immediately known. It has been speculated the deceased man whose body was found in a garage was the teen girl’s father.
Nadine Huneault, who lives next door to the victims, told media that disputes between the dog owner and her neighbors started in April.
‘The shooter has a dog and it attacked the lady next door,’ she said.
