Super Bowl party ends with man shot to death

A Super Bowl party ended in tragedy in Palmetto, after a shooting left one man dead and a woman injured.

Detectives have a suspect, but the man claims the shooting was in self-defense, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Just after 10 p.m. Sunday, as the Philadelphia Eagles clinched their Super Bowl win, deputies were called to the 1100 block of 33rd Street East in Palmetto to a report of a shooting.

When deputies arrived, they found Alvin “Duke” Ducre, 55, dead and a 39-year-old woman suffering from gunshot wounds just outside some storage containers on the property.

The woman was taken to a local hospital to be treated but is expected to survive. Detectives with the multi-agency Manatee Homicide Investigative Unit have not yet interviewed the woman but intend to in the next couple days after she has had some time to recover.

The 35-year-old suspect has not yet been publically identified by the sheriff’s office. His parents own the property where the Super Bowl gathering and shooting took place.

It is unknown how many people were gathered for the Super Bowl party and witnessed the shooting, because by the time deputies arrived many people had left the scene.

“We are asking that anyone who may have seen or heard anything to call us,” sheriff’s office spokesman Dave Bristow said.

Detectives have also been canvassing the community for potential witnesses, he said.

The victims both knew each other as well as they knew the suspect. Social media posts suggest the two victims were in a romantic relationship with each other, but the sheriff’s office has not yet been able to confirm that.

Both victims had a criminal history with several arrests, and the suspect has one prior arrest.

After the Super Bowl game ended, neighbors gathered outside as detectives investigated, according to neighbor Rodney Jones. A bet over the game is what those present at the scene Sunday night told Jones and others led to the shooting. The sheriff's office would not comment on a possible motive for the shooting.

It isn't uncommon for there to be gatherings in or near the storage containers on the property, Jones said.

On Monday morning, a woman on the property declined to speak with the Bradenton Herald and other media outlets but said that the family was very distraught over what had occurred.

Anyone who may have witnessed the shooting or knows anything about the case can call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office at 941-747-3011 ext. 2519, or Crime Stoppers at 866-634-8477(TIPS).

This story was originally published February 5, 2018 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Super Bowl party ends with man shot to death."