SARASOTA, Fla. — A man Sarasota police officers were looking for in a standoff was found dead Saturday morning, police said.
Police say officers were called to a condo building, located at 1800 block of Benjamin Franklin Drive, around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, July 9, for reports of shots fired. Officers responded and heard "rapid fire" coming from the building, according to the department.
Authorities say a 58-year-old recently fired maintenance man was shooting the gun. Police say witnesses told officers the man was upset over losing his job.
Police say, based on preliminary information, they believe the man went to a condo of a man and woman in the same building in an attempt to hurt the man. The man and woman fled the condo, police say, and the former employee fired several shots at them before going into a parking garage and shooting into empty vehicles.
The man and woman escaped without serious injury.
The former employee, who has not been named, barricaded himself inside a condo until officers found him just after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Police say the man was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Specialty units from the Sarasota Police Department, who responded included SWAT, CNU (Crisis Negotiation Unit), additional patrol officers, ERT (Emergency Response Unit), Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division as well as K-9, SWAT and Air-1 from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office were all assisting in the standoff.
