SARASOTA, Fla. — A 75-year-old man shot his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself Monday morning at a Sarasota apartment complex, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputies say they responded just after 9:30 a.m. to the Anson Apartments at Palmer Ranch, located on Sawyer Loop Road. Neighbors reportedly called 911 after seeing a woman fleeing her apartment after getting shot.
An investigation revealed that Alan Smith, 75, shot his live-in girlfriend, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office reports. The woman was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, where she is continuing to receive treatment.
Deputies then evacuated the surrounding apartments, believing Smith was still armed with a gun inside.
People were asked to avoid the Sawyer Loop area for several hours while the sheriff's office SWAT and Hostage Negotiations Team attempted to contact the man.
After several unsuccessful attempts, the SWAT team forced entry into the apartment to find Smith dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the sheriff's office.
The medical examiner's office will determine Smith's official cause of death.
The sheriff's office said there was no history of prior calls to the apartment. The shooting remains under investigation.
If you or someone you know is being victimized by domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233. Here in Florida, you can report abuse 24/7 by calling the Department of Children and Families at 1-800-962-2873 or submitting a report online here.