SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Detectives from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a fatal shooting that took place early this morning in unincorporated Longwood, believed to be linked to a traffic dispute.
Deputies arrived around 1:00 a.m. after a shooting was reported on Rutledge Road at the 1700 block. Investigators found that two drivers, each armed with a handgun, got into a verbal altercation following a traffic incident near the entrance to Mandarin Estates, the decedent’s subdivision.
Detectives report that the decedent aimed his firearm at the shooter, who then fired several rounds, causing the decedent’s death. He was declared dead at the scene, and his firearm was recovered in the roadway. The decedent’s name is kept confidential until family notification.
Both parties involved had valid reasons for being in the subdivision during the incident. The shooter promptly called 911, stayed at the scene, and cooperated with investigators.
Following questioning, the shooter was released in accordance with Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, and currently, the 18th Judicial Circuit’s State Attorney’s Office is not pursuing charges.
Detectives from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office are continuing their neighborhood canvass, actively searching for surveillance or camera footage that may have captured the incident or what led up to it.
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