LONGWOOD, Fla. – A driver was shot and killed early Wednesday in an apparent road rage incident in Seminole County, deputies said.
The fatal shooting happened around 1 a.m. in the 1700 block of Rutledge Road, east of Markham Woods Boulevard and west of I-4, near Longwood.
The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said two motorists, both of whom were armed, got into an altercation near the entrance to the Mandarin Estates subdivision and one of them fired into the other vehicle, causing it to crash.
[VIDEO: Driver shot, killed during apparent road rage incident in Seminole County]
The wounded driver — identified as 51-year-old Manuel Alejandro Rosado, of Longwood — died at the scene, deputies said.
The shooter remained at the scene and was released under provisions of Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law after being detained for questioning, according to sheriff’s officials.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office said Rosado pointed his gun at the shooter, at which time the shooter fired multiple rounds at the Rosado.
“Both individuals had a legitimate reason for being in the subdivision at the time of the incident. The shooter immediately called 911, remained on scene, and has been cooperative with the investigation,” the sheriff’s office said. “After questioning, the shooter was released under provisions of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. The State Attorney’s Office for the 18th Judicial Circuit is not filing charges at this time.”
Orlando attorney and legal analyst James Phillips says the available facts align with the requirements of Stand Your Ground.
“The first thing I thought of is it looks like the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office got it right,” Phillips said.
[BELOW: ‘Stand Your Ground’ cited after fatal Seminole County shooting stems from apparent road rage]
He added that a reasonable person in the shooter’s position could have believed they were facing imminent danger.
“The guy is pointing a gun at me. And he used what the law allowed him to use, which is deadly force to protect himself,” he said.
Detectives will canvass the neighborhood “seeking any available surveillance or camera footage that may have captured the incident or events leading up to it,” the statement reads.
Rosado was a resident of the Mandarin Estates subdivision, according to the sheriff’s office.
Neighbors say they were shaken from sleep by the sound of gunfire. One resident said she initially thought someone was knocking on her door before realizing the noise came from outside. Others discovered damage in their yards left behind after one of the vehicles veered off the roadway during the confrontation.
“He lost control, and his car ran across my neighbor’s yard, ran across my yard,” said a nearby resident, who awoke to police tape around her property.
Longtime residents say violence is rare in their community.
“This is crazy. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for 43 years and never seen anything like this,” one neighbor said. “It’s a quiet neighborhood… it doesn’t happen in our neighborhood.”
No other details have been released.
[VIDEO BELOW: Violent road rage caught on camera in Bradenton]