A 31-year-old Lee County man is behind bars after investigators say he stepped outside a home and fired at a car carrying three women who had pulled into a driveway to make a U-turn. No one was hurt, but the close call could have ended very differently.
The shooting happened last Sunday in the area of 10th Street Southwest, according to a report by Tampa Free Press. Deputies said the women encountered an armed man who allegedly opened fire as their vehicle fled the scene. No injuries were reported.
Under Florida's weapons statutes, shooting at or into an occupied vehicle is a second-degree felony, and people convicted of felonies generally cannot possess firearms or ammunition, according to the Florida Legislature's statutes. Those provisions help explain why the case includes both a shooting charge and a firearm-possession charge.
Detectives identified the suspect as Christian Gomez and recovered a 9mm handgun during a search of his residence, as detailed by Tampa Free Press. Sheriff Carmine Marceno called firing at an occupied vehicle “a reckless act that could have easily ended in tragedy.” Gomez was booked into the Lee County Jail.
Another Lee County Vehicle Shooting Case Drew Attention
The arrest comes amid other recent vehicle-shooting investigations in Lee County. On July 17, WBBH reported that a Lehigh Acres suspect was accused of shooting at a vehicle carrying six children before a pursuit and confrontation with deputies.
Gomez faces allegations, not a conviction, and the case will proceed through the court system. The available reports did not indicate that anyone was injured in the driveway shooting.
