Bradenton police investigating death of man stabbed in the chest

BRADENTON -- The Bradenton Police Department is investigating the death of a man who was stabbed.

At 12:26 a.m. May 1, Bradenton police officers were called to a home in the 2100 block of 13th Street West in Bradenton to reports of an injured man, according to Lt. James Racky.

Robert John Zellner, 50, was found with a stab wound in his chest and taken to Blake Medical Center where he later died. Zellner's 41-year-old girlfriend is listed on the incident report as being involved and living at the same address.

Additional details have not been made available by police.

"Detectives are still investigating this case," Racky said Thursday in a statement to the Bradenton Herald. "It is not a homicide at this point, it is a death investigation."

The public incident report on the death lists the case as a "homicide and non-negligent manslaughter."

On Friday afternoon, police were still not releasing more details.

"Right now we don't have enough evidence to rule it a homicide," Racky said. "As soon we have enough evidence for a quality charge whether it be: homicide first-degree or second-degree, manslaughter or rule it justifiable we will release that information to the media."

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter@JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Bradenton police investigating death of man stabbed in the chest ."