A 65-year-old Port Charlotte man is facing a felony charge after deputies say he pulled up to a campground in a silver SUV and opened fire on another man with a shotgun, wounding him in the face and shoulder. William Kralick was arrested Wednesday, days after the shooting, and now sits accused of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in connection with the September 2 incident at a campground on Riverton Circle.
According to a probable cause affidavit provided by the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, the victim told deputies he was standing outside his vehicle when Kralick shot him twice. As reported by Gulf Coast News and Weather, deputies found bullet holes in the victim's vehicle when they arrived at the scene, and the man ended up driving himself to the hospital for treatment. Two additional witnesses who were present at the campground when the shooting occurred corroborated his account and identified Kralick as the shooter, per the affidavit.
Suspect Caught Across County Lines
Kralick did not stay in Charlotte County for long. Per a public law enforcement update from North Port News and Traffic Report, he was apprehended in neighboring Sarasota County by the North Port Police Department on an out-of-county warrant for aggravated battery with a firearm that Charlotte County authorities had issued.
The victim left the campground before deputies could gather every detail on scene, but his statement to investigators, backed by the two witnesses, formed the basis for the warrant. The same account notes that Kralick pulled up near the victim in a silver sport utility vehicle before the shooting unfolded at the Riverton Circle location, which sits in western Charlotte County near the Myakka River and State Road 776, according to a Zillow listing for the area.
What Kralick Could Face in Court
Aggravated battery with a deadly weapon is a second-degree felony under Florida Statute § 784.045, carrying a maximum of 15 years in state prison, 15 years of probation, and a $10,000 fine, according to a review by Online Sunshine. But the fact that a shotgun was reportedly discharged and caused injury could expose Kralick to far steeper consequences. Under Florida's 10-20-Life sentencing law, § 775.087, discharging a firearm during an aggravated battery triggers a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, a term that climbs to 25 years to life if the discharge causes great bodily harm, per an explainer from The Brancato Law Firm.
Florida's Criminal Punishment Code also ranks aggravated battery as a Level 7 offense, which sets an elevated baseline on the sentencing scorecards judges use statewide, according to Terrezza Law. Florida case law defines a deadly weapon as any object used, or threatened to be used, in a manner likely to cause death or great bodily harm, per Hanlon Law. To convict Kralick, prosecutors would need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that intentional, non-consensual contact occurred alongside either a deadly weapon or great bodily harm.
A Pattern of Gunfire Cases in Charlotte County
The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Bill Prummell, is the primary law enforcement agency for unincorporated communities across the county, including Port Charlotte, according to a University of Florida digital collections record. This is not the first time gunfire aimed at an occupied vehicle has drawn a law enforcement response in the area. In April, Charlotte County deputies arrested a 43-year-old woman in Port Charlotte after she allegedly fired multiple rounds into a vehicle leaving a car full of teens near Lake Betty Park following a dispute.
Public legal notices published in Charlotte County in June indicate that William M. Kralick was previously involved in civil litigation in Florida's 20th Judicial Circuit, according to Charlotte County Legal Notices. The charges against Kralick remain allegations at this stage, and it is unclear when he is expected to appear in court.
