Shooting Suspect's Story Crumbles In N. Tamiami Fatality: Sheriff

MANATEE COUNTY, FL – PHOTO: Suspect Karrie Sanderson

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A 36-year-old was arrested in Thursday's fatal shooting of a man in a parked car on North Tamiami Trail. However, his version of how events unfolded did not hold up under questioning, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies responded to reports of gunfire at approximately 1:40 p.m. on the 7400 block of North Tamiami Trail in south Manatee County and discovered a male deceased from gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of a vehicle at a business parking lot north of the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.

The victim was identified today by officials as Melquisedec Betancourt, 32.

Witnesses described a suspect seen running from the vehicle, and, after an area search, deputies found and arrested Karrie Lee Sanderson III a short distance away. A gun was located behind a nearby business, and three shell casings were on the ground near the passenger side of the car, deputies said.

Sanderson allegedly admitted to investigators, after waiving his rights, that he was, indeed, in the passenger side of car, with the victim in the driver's seat, with no one else in the vicinity and even identified the weapon used. But he said he was the victim of aggravated battery by Betancourt, who held the gun, according to deputies.

In the suspect's version, Sanderson said a shot was fired, and that before he fled the vehicle, he told Betancourt, "You will have to shoot me in the back," as additional shots were fired as he ran, according to sheriff reports.

The gun allegedly was found behind a building, and the victim was shot dead in the car. As Sanderson was confronted by detectives that he was "the only person that could have fired the weapon and that Betancourt could not have left the car, due to being deceased, he immediately invoked his rights."

"Sanderson was the only other person in the lot, other than the victim," reports state. "The shell casings were found outside the vehicle, the injuries clearly were not self-inflicted and the death is the result of Sanderson firing the weapon at Betancourt."

Sanderson was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.

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--Image via Manatee County Sheriff