A woman who was shot 11 times by her relative managed to escape the home and walk to her neighbor’s house across the street to call police for help, according to WFTS Tampa Bay.
The unnamed woman was reportedly shot about 11 times, twice in the head, but also several times in the chest and legs, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
“It’s amazing, you think of somebody who’s been shot that many times, that is still able to walk out of her house, walk across the street to a neighbor and tell them what happened,” Chief Deputy Paul Halle said.
In the early morning of June 11, 2023, police responded to an emergency call around 1:30 a.m. that was made by the victim from her neighbor’s house. The victim was allegedly shot by a man later identified as Wayne Lovell Dew, 65, who was only described as a family member of the victim.
The victim was rushed to a hospital and survived, according to Fox 13 Tampa.
Police brought breaching gear and had SWAT on standby while they spent approximately seven hours trying to get Dew to surrender. Eventually, when Dew stopped responding, authorities breached the home and found Dew neutralized with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shooter was pronounced dead at the scene.
“We did have information that inside the house were rifles and pistols, and we just don’t go tactical on a house and send the SWAT team in. It’s not the safest way to go,” Deputy Chief Halle explained. “It’s a little methodical, sneak and peek. We get all the information we can get with our negotiator team for several hours,” he explained.
A local resident named Kayla McClure simply said, “It’s scary.” She added that “it’s stuff you see on TV you don’t really think it’s going to be in your back yard.”
The local house of worship, Oakhurst United Methodist Church, was used as a command center for police and as such had its regular Sunday service canceled.
“It just goes to show that this can happen anywhere — we’re not immune to it,” said the church’s pastor, Nathan Carlson. “This is a nice neighborhood, it’s a pretty peaceful neighborhood, but this happens anywhere.”
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