BRADENTON, Fla. — Police arrested a man on a weapons charge for a prior felony conviction after shooting another man armed with a machete in self-defense, according to authorities.
Bruce Brooks, 35, was interviewed about the Sunday shooting on 11th Avenue East in the hours after a 31-year-old man was found dead from two gunshot wounds, according to Bradenton police.
Brooks reportedly told police, with multiple witnesses at the scene also explaining, that shortly before 3:30 a.m., the 31-year-old man was involved in an argument outside his home. This soon escalated into the man yelling at his neighbors.
According to police, this is when the man grabbed a machete and walked over to a neighboring yard while approaching Brooks, who was sleeping in the home's carport.
"Brooks woke up, saw the [man] coming with the machete, and shot the [man] with a handgun in self-defense," police said in a statement.
Brooks left the scene but later contacted the police department. The 35-year-old, who has a prior felony conviction, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The name of the 31-year-old shot and killed isn't being released because of Marsy's Law.
The investigation is ongoing at this time. Anyone with information on this case can contact Detective Jeff Beckley at jeff.beckley@bradentonpd.com or Detective Todd Freed at todd.freed@bradentonpd.com. You can also call BPD at 941-932-9300.