Man shot multiple times in apartment complex, police say. Another person died nearby
Police are investigating after a man was shot multiple times in a Bradenton apartment complex Friday night, and another man died after being found face down outside in the adjacent condo community.
At 8:12 p.m., Bradenton Police responded to reports of a shooting in the Village at Cortez apartment complex, 4880 51st St. W., Bradenton. Officers arrived to find the victim inside a maroon four-door Toyota Avalon suffering from gunshot wounds.
Meanwhile, five minutes after that call, paramedics and police were dispatched to the adjacent Bay Pointe at Cortez condo community after a man was found face down on the sidewalk outside one of the buildings near the parking lot.
Both men were taken to Blake Medical Center, according to Lt. Brian Thiers.
Crowds gathered in the Village at Cortez with dozens of neighbors and bystanders watching as police investigated the scene looking for evidence inside the car or casings outside. Some neighbors expressed concern with the violence occurring just outside their homes, while others were more upset about not being able to drive to park closer to their apartment because the scene was taped off.
One neighbor, who asked not to be named, said she heard the shots and came outside to find people standing around.
“So I went to the car and just prayed with him until the police came,” she said.
EMS personnel performed CPR before taking the man in Bay Pointe to Blake, but he was declared dead around 9:10 p.m. His body did not show any obvious signs of trauma, according to Thiers, but could be related given the proximity and timing.
The victim of the shooting was in surgery at Blake Hospital as of 10 p.m. Friday. Further updates on his condition were not immediately available.
“It looked like it grazed his arm, took a chunk out,” the witness said. “He kept saying he was shot in the stomach and leg.”
Before going into surgery, the shooting victim was still speaking, according to police.
Police investigators are working to confirm whether the two events are connected.
This story was originally published October 19, 2018 at 9:58 PM.