‘It’s still very surreal’: Winter Garden neighbors reflect on shooting, SWAT standoff

WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — A man is dead and another is in custody after an early-morning shooting that led to a long SWAT team response.

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Police said it happened on Mildred Dixon Way in Winter Garden.

People were forced to leave their homes while the investigation was conducted.

One neighbor said he was away from his home for nine hours on Saturday as officers served a search warrant to find the shooter. The suspect ended up turning himself in later instead.

Read: 6 people shot in early-morning shooting at Orange County nightclub

The search for the suspect led to an abrupt awakening in the Winter Garden neighborhood.

“I was woken up this morning by my siblings knocking on my bedroom door, saying the police were telling us to leave,” Jacob Woollens said.

Woollens said what happened next felt like a scene from a movie.

“They had us walk around the back of the house to the other backyard and then squat behind a police car,” he said. “And they backed us up to the police line telling us to leave, while other officers had their guns drawn, pointed at the houses.”

Read: Suspect still at large after man found dead from gunshot in Winter Garden, police say

Winter Garden police said they found Jermaine Anthony Moultrie lying in front of his home, shot.

They believed the suspect, Jerell Lightbourne, was in the house next door.

Then an hourslong SWAT standoff began. The standoff ended when police obtained a search warrant and found no one in the home.

“We just need to stop all this violence,” said neighbor Jerry Irby.

Irby said Multrie was like family to him and this is a hard loss.

“He was a good young man, he was a decent young man, he loved his family,” Irby said. “And I tell you, he’s really going to be missed.”

Read: Suspect arrested after domestic incident turns into shootout with Melbourne police

Meanwhile, Woollens said he feels some comfort knowing the suspect has been caught, but he’s still shocked this all happened across the street.

“It’s still very surreal,” he said. “I didn’t know him personally, but I saw him in passing, said hello, just basic neighbor stuff.”

Winter Garden Police said Lightbourne turned himself into the Orange County Jail on Saturday.

Police are not looking for any other suspects.

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