Bradenton man asked woman for change. When she didn’t have any, cops say he shot her
A Bradenton man has been arrested and is facing charges in two shootings over the Memorial Day weekend that happened within 40 minutes of one another.
Jose Aldavera, 18, was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Manatee County Jail. He made his first appearance before a judge on Wednesday afternoon. Bonds were set totaling $61,500 and he was ordered not to have any contact with the alleged victims or possession of any firearms.
At about 5:10 a.m. on Sunday, a 51-year-old Bradenton woman was looking for discarded items in the parking lot behind the Seahorse Lounge at 2608 Ninth Street West when she was approached by Aldavera, according to the sheriff’s office.
Aldavera asked the woman, who lives nearby, for spare change. When she replied that she did not have any, Aldavera drew a gun, shot her three times and fled the area, according to the sheriff’s office.
The woman’s husband heard the commotion from their residence and came to her aid, detectives say. She was transported to Blake Medical Center for care and is expected to survive.
Detectives uses surveillance video from the Seahorse Lounge to identify Aldavera as a suspect. He was later located and confessed the crime to deputies. He also confessed that he was responsible for a shooting that occurred the same day in Bradenton Police Department’s jurisdiction.
Less than 40 minutes earlier Sunday morning, a man had been shot just seven blocks south from the Seahorse Lounge.
The victim, who was shot once in the right leg, was conscious when Bradenton police officers arrived but would not cooperate with their investigation, according to Assistant Chief Josh Cramer. The victim claimed that he couldn’t tell whether he had been shot by someone on foot or from a car.
Bradenton police have since learned that the sheriff’s office arrested Aldavera and that he was cooperating with their investigation.
This story was originally published June 1, 2021 at 6:36 PM.
