Palmetto man accused of killing girlfriend, shooting at others, police say
A Palmetto man is under arrest after police say he killed his girlfriend and shot at two witnesses late Sunday night before leading law enforcement on a manhunt.
Cilas Roblero Morales, 25, faces a murder charge in the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, 30-year-old Blanca Guzman Bartolon, as well as two counts of attempted murder, the Palmetto Police Department said.
Officers were called to the 1400 block of 12th Avenue West around 11:30 p.m. Sunday after reports of gunfire, according to a news release. When they arrived, two witnesses directed them to a nearby driveway, where they found Bartolon dead from a gunshot wound to the head, police said.
The two witnesses told officers that Bartolon called them and asked to be picked up because her boyfriend was acting aggressively and carrying a gun, police said. When they arrived, the witnesses told police that Morales confronted them in the driveway and opened fire, striking Bartolon. The witnesses ran from the scene, according to police.
Morales ran west toward the Manatee County Fairgrounds, police said. A sheriff’s office K-9 team and helicopter found him hiding on the property and recovered a firearm believed to be the murder weapon, according to a news release.
Morales was booked into the Manatee County Jail on one count of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, police said.
