Bradenton man killed daughter’s boyfriend in fatal shooting, deputies say
A Bradenton man shot and killed his daughter’s boyfriend following a history of tension between the two, according to a newly filed arrest report.
The report provides new details about the early Sunday morning shooting that left 23-year-old Rickie Emmanuel Riddle III dead.
Prosecutors charged 46-year-old Chadrick Ronald Dontra Hunter with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in a fatal shooting at a home in the 1400 block of 34th Avenue East, a case that comes two decades after he was accused of pointing a gun during an argument in 2006.
Deputies responded around 3:45 a.m. Feb. 22 after Hunter called 911 and reported he had shot a man who was “jumping on his daughter,” according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
When deputies arrived, they said they found Riddle unconscious with a single gunshot wound to the upper torso. He later died at the scene, according to an arrest report.
Hunter told deputies he got into a physical altercation with Riddle and claimed Riddle produced a firearm, according to an arrest report. Hunter said he gained control of the gun and shot him.
Bradenton man killed daughter’s boyfriend, deputies say
But statements from Hunter’s girlfriend and his daughter contradict that account, investigators wrote.
Hunter’s daughter told deputies she and Riddle were talking in her bedroom with the door closed when her father opened the door, looked inside and walked away without speaking. She said he returned moments later holding a black semi-automatic pistol and fired into the room, according to the report.
She told deputies she did not see Riddle with a firearm. She also told investigators she knew her father kept a firearm inside the home and was able to describe the case where it was stored, according to the arrest report.
Hunter’s girlfriend told deputies she and Hunter had been involved in a physical altercation shortly before the shooting. She also said Hunter had been drinking throughout the night, the report states.
According to the arrest report, she told investigators that Hunter and Riddle had a history of verbal disputes. She also said she did not see Riddle with a gun at any point, and told investigators she believed after a night of drinking Hunter “had enough” and shot him.
Murder charge in fatal shooting
Court records show Hunter has a criminal history of 13 prior felony convictions, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, fleeing to elude and multiple drug offenses.
One of those convictions stemmed from a 2006 case in which prosecutors initially charged Hunter with aggravated assault with a firearm after alleging he pointed a gun at a man during an argument inside a Bradenton home.
An arrest report in that case states Hunter left a room during the dispute, returned with a chrome revolver and held it to the man’s head while making threats. Prosecutors later amended the charge, and Hunter pleaded no contest in 2007 to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to nearly two years in state prison, according to court records.
In a 2018 case, deputies arrested Hunter after alleging he struck a woman and injured a man during a fight at a Bradenton store. Prosecutors later dropped the charges, court records show.
Court records show Hunter is scheduled to appear in court on April 10 before Circuit Judge Frederick Mercurio at the Manatee County Judicial Center.
Hunter remains in custody at the Manatee County Jail, according to jail records. No bond has been set on the murder charge, and his bond on the firearm charge is listed at $25,000.
