NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – An afternoon of clearing brush in a New Port Richey neighborhood ended in a horrific multi-victim shooting Monday, leaving one man dead, a woman wounded, and a Pasco County sheriff’s deputy shot during a tense gun battle.
The violence broke out near the intersection of Davista Avenue and Sawtell Street after a neighbor reportedly snapped over a land-clearing project.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco identified the suspect as 31-year-old Aaron Rodriguez, who lived directly across from the lot where the victims were working. According to investigators, the couple was simply using tools to clean up the property when Rodriguez approached them, becoming “irate” and yelling threats for unknown reasons.
The situation turned deadly while the male victim was on the phone with 911. As he reported the harassment, Rodriguez allegedly pulled a gun and opened fire. The man collapsed at the intersection and died at the scene, while the female victim was shot as she tried to run for her life down the street.
When deputies arrived, they found a chaotic scene. While some rendered aid to the bleeding victims, a team of three deputies—including a K-9 unit—confronted Rodriguez at his garage. Sheriff Nocco stated that deputies spotted Rodriguez with a firearm and repeatedly ordered him to drop it. When he refused, a shootout erupted.
During the exchange, the K-9 deputy was shot in the leg.
“Training kicks in for everybody,” Nocco said, describing the scene captured on body-camera footage. “He pulls out his tourniquet to start putting the tourniquet on. The canine bravely starts jumping in front of him, protecting the handler.”
The wounded deputy was rushed to the hospital and is expected to survive. The female victim and Rodriguez were also hospitalized, though their current conditions remain unknown. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has stepped in to lead the investigation into the deputy-involved shooting.
Sheriff Nocco offered a blunt assessment of the suspect’s choices during a 4 p.m. press conference. “If you point a gun at a Pasco deputy, you’re going to get shot,” Nocco said. “There’s no sympathy… He’s going to deal with the ramifications in this life and the hereafter.”
Investigators remain on the scene processing two separate crime scenes where a routine neighborhood chore turned into a fatal tragedy.
ORIGINAL REPORT: A residential neighborhood in New Port Richey became the site of a deputy-involved shooting Monday afternoon, prompting an immediate investigation and a scheduled public briefing from law enforcement.
The incident took place near the intersection of Davista Avenue and Sawtell Street.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco announced he would address the media at approximately 4 p.m. to provide a preliminary account of what led to the shooting.
While the agency confirmed that shots were fired by deputies, officials have not yet released the condition of the individual involved or the specific events that preceded the use of force.
” There is no public safety threat as this appears to be an isolated incident,” said the Pasco Sheriff’s Office.
This is a developing story and will be updated during the press conference.
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