Man shot to death near airport; suspect charged with murder

A man was found shot to death Thursday afternoon in a car parked behind a business near Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Melquisedec “Tito” Betancourt, 32, was found in a vehicle in a parking lot behind a business Thursday afternoon, according to the sheriff’s office.

Karrie Lee Sanderson, 36, has been charged with his murder and booked into the Manatee County jail.

About 1:40 p.m., deputies responded to reports of gunfire in the 7400 block of North Tamiami Trail, near Whitfield Avenue, sheriff’s spokesman Dave Bristow said.

“At the same time, we had witnesses telling us they believe the suspect has headed north, so we began to track the suspect,” Bristow said.

Deputies were able to track Sanderson and apprehend him within about 45 minutes near the Bearded Clam Waterfront Restaurant and Tiki Bar, 7150 N. Tamiami Trail.

But before being detained, Sanderson actually walked into the Bearded Clam barefoot, ordered himself two tequila shots, paid and left, according to restaurant proprietor Wesley Rose. As he walked back outside, a deputy pulled up.

The parking lot was quickly swarming with several more deputies. Rose said Sanderson appeared to have trouble walking and sat on the ground. After being brought a glass of water and paramedics briefly responding, Sanderson was whisked away in patrol car, he said.

Bristow said Sanderson was questioned Thursday afternoon. “We’re trying to find out exactly what happened.”

Both men were known to each other, and there appeared to be some sort of disagreement leading up to the shooting, according to the sheriff’s office.

Sanderson was “somewhat” cooperative, and he was not armed at the time he was apprehended, Bristow said.

“We searched this area, and suffice to say, we found sound evidence that we believe will help us in this case,” Bristow said.

Crime scene technicians and detectives were seen bending down into some bushes on the north side of the building the business was in. The building, formerly a chiropractic practice, appeared to currently be the storefront for a limo service.

“We are getting a search warrant for a residence near here, that we think might tie into all this,” Bristow said.

The address was not officially released by the sheriff’s office. However, a crime scene less than a mile away in the 300 block of Mendez Drive appeared to be connected. Homicide detectives with the Manatee Homicide Investigative Unit that were at the scene where the victim’s body was found were later outside the home on Mendez.

Robert “Bob” Zaret, the owner of the home, said he was home at the time of the shooting, as were his two tenants, one of whom is Sanderson, and Sanderson’s girlfriend.

A friend of Sanderson’s came over to the home around 10 a.m., and an argument later ensued between the two men, he told the Herald. The men ended up “fist-fighting and shooting,” Zaret recalled. Zaret said he heard at least three shots fired as the struggle moved outside.

“The guns sounded like bazookas,” Zaret said.

A woman, said to be his female tenant by Zaret, was later brought to the scene by a patrol deputy. She seemed distraught as she stood on the side of the road speaking to a homicide detective.

Many neighbors who drove by paused to question what had happened. One woman said, “They’re very strange,” motioning to the home before driving off.

Sanderson was released from prison two years ago after serving about 10 months for three counts of sale, delivery or manufacturing cocaine and possession of cocaine.

Eddie Ward was at the scene where Betancourt was found and insisted to reporters that he had no connection to those involved, but that he ran his limo service out of the storefront. A limo in the front yard of the second scene appeared to be connected to his limo service.

Ward was driving in the Tampa area when friends called him to let him know deputies were swarming the building.

“I’m not very happy about it at all, actually,” Ward said when asked what he thought of what happened behind the building where he runs his limousine service. “They caught the guy, so that’s good.”

He suspects it was a drug deal that went bad.

“It’s unfortunate that all this happened. I feel bad for the victim. Prayers to him and his family, because, obviously, this isn’t fun stuff,” Ward said.

Aaron Elazzaoui’s own limo service, connected to Ward’s business, arrived at the scene to retrieve one of his vehicles that he had left in the same back parking lot where Betancourt was found. He said he had left it and took a party bus that he operates to get new batteries.

He also claimed not to have any knowledge or connection to the shooting.

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Man shot to death near airport; suspect charged with murder."