SEMINOLE, Fla. — A west-central Florida woman shot 11 times during a domestic dispute early Sunday is expected to live, authorities said.
According to a news release from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the suspected shooter, identified as Wayne Lovell Dew, 65, was a family member of the woman and was later found dead with a gunshot wound to the head after a seven-hour standoff with SWAT officers.
The woman was able to walk out of a residence in Seminole and called 911 at approximately 1:30 a.m. EDT, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
“It’s amazing, you think about someone who’s been shot that many times and is still able to walk out of her house, walk across the street to a neighbor, and tell them what happened,” sheriff’s office Chief Deputy Paul Halle said during a news conference.
The woman suffered wounds mostly to her chest, with a few to her head and legs, Halle told reporters.
The ensuing standoff with deputies and Dew forced the closure of Park Boulevard, a major thoroughfare in the city, and the suspension of morning services at nearby Oakhurst United Methodist Church, according to WTSP-TV.
Police attempted to communicate with Dew but efforts were unsuccessful, the television station reported.
Nathan Carlson, the senior pastor at the church, told WTSP that the sheriff’s office called him at 5:40 a.m. EDT, saying law enforcement needed to use the church parking lot as a staging area.
A few moments later, Carlson decided to cancel church services.
“I’m really glad that we have the space near where this is happening to stage the sheriff’s office, I’m glad we could work with them,” Carlson told reporters. “It just goes to show that this can happen anywhere. We’re not immune to it. This is a nice neighborhood. It’s a pretty peaceful neighborhood. But this happens anywhere in the United States.”
Halle said the negotiations were lengthy because of information that suggested more weapons were inside the residence.
“We did have information that inside the house were rifles and pistols, and we just don’t go tactical on a house and send the SWAT team in. It’s not the safest way to go,” Halle said. “It’s a little methodical, sneak and peek. We get all the information we can get with our negotiator team for several hours.”
The shooting startled residents in the quiet neighborhood. Park Boulevard reopened early Sunday afternoon, the Times reported.
“It’s scary. It’s stuff you see on TV you don’t really think it’s going to be in your backyard,” resident Kayla McClure told WTVT.
