Bradenton man charged with attempted murder after shooting Manatee deputy, sheriff says

Ryan Callihan

May 24, 2024 at 7:03 a.m.·3 min read

A Bradenton man faces several attempted murder charges after trying to break into a Bradenton nursing home and shooting a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office deputy, the agency announced.

According to the sheriff’s office, Sean Calcutti displayed erratic behavior early Friday morning when he tried to break into a Cortez Road nursing home and opened fire on two deputies who responded to the scene, striking one of them in the arm.

“This is the man that tried to kill one of my deputies. This is the man who tried to kill an innocent civilian inside this nursing home,” Sheriff Rick Wells said, holding up a poster of Calcutti’s mugshot during a Friday morning news conference. “This is the man who will hopefully spend a lot of time not only in the Wells Motel, which is the Manatee County Jail, but also in the Department of Corrections.”

Wells said Calcutti, 40, tried to drive a car through the front door of the Aspire Nursing Home in the 6300 block of Cortez Road around 3:15 a.m. He then loaded a gun and fired a shot at an employee who confronted him, deputies say.

The nursing home’s employees ran to the back and locked the doors, preventing Calcutti from entering the building, Sheriff Rick Wells said during a news conference Friday morning. Before deputies arrived, Calcutti also shot into at least one nursing home window, according to the sheriff’s office.

None of the residents at the nursing home were injured, Wells said, but as of Friday morning, deputies say they do not know why Calcutti tried to break in.

“Why he chose to crash into the nursing home, we do not know. Why he made the decision to shoot one of my deputies, we can only guess,” Wells said.

Law enforcement personnel investigate the scene of a shooting that happened around 3:30 a.m. Friday, May 24, 2024. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says Sean Calcutti is charged with attempted murder after he tried to break into a nursing home and shot a deputy in the arm.

Manatee deputy injured in nursing home shooting

The employees were not injured, but they called 911 to report the shooting and deputies with the sheriff’s office responded to the scene to begin searching for the shooter.

Shortly after the deputies arrived, they found Calcutti on the side of the building, but he refused to listen to their commands and shot at the deputies, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office also returned fire, but the deputies turned to medical aid when Calcutti shot one of them in the arm.

After law enforcement agencies set up a perimeter in the area, a sheriff’s office bloodhound helped locate Calcutti and he was arrested around 5:44 a.m., deputies say.

The injured deputy is in “stable” condition and is expected to return home Friday evening after receiving hospital treatment. Calcutti was not injured in the arrest, but he was also taken to the hospital, the sheriff’s office said.

According to Wells, Calcutti has an “extensive” criminal history in Florida and New York.

“He’s a violent offender. He’s violent,” said Wells. “He’s been prone to committing violent acts.”

Calcutti is charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of attempted murder on a law enforcement officer, firing a gun into an occupied dwelling and armed burglary, Wells said.

Manatee Sheriff Rick Wells briefs the press after a shooting that happened around 3:30 a.m. Friday, May 24, 2024. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says Sean Calcutti is charged with attempted murder after he tried to break into a nursing home and shot a deputy in the arm.

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Manatee deputy injured in nursing home shooting

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