Palmetto man on life support following a shooting, sheriff’s office says
A man is on life support following a shooting in Palmetto on Friday evening, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office says Leroy Lee Hope Sr. of Palmetto got into a fight with a 60-year-old man before shooting him.
A few blocks away from where the initial argument occurred, detectives say Hope drove his car by the victim, who was on a bicycle, before Hope got out of the car and shot the man before driving away.
Deputies went to the 1500 block of 2nd Ave. W Palmetto around 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20, where they found the man lying on the side of the road with a gunshot wound to his head, according to a news release.
The man, who is also from Palmetto and whose name is being withheld due to Marsy’s Law, was taken to Blake Hospital in critical condition, the release says. He is not expected to survive.
Hope was arrested the next day, Oct. 21, on an unrelated DUI charge as detectives were still identifying him as a suspect, according to the release.
He remains in custody and charges for the shooting are pending, detectives say.
