Neighbor Hailed As Hero During Domestic Violence Shooting

TRINITY, FL -- A neighbor is being hailed as a hero today for shooting a man who was terrorizing a woman and her children during a domestic violence incident.

The shooting took place at a home in Trinity Wednesday around 6:50 p.m.

A couple at a home got into a fight that turned violent, said Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco. He said the home was in disarray and there was blood inside.

The woman in the home screamed for help and began lowering her elementary school-age children out a second-story to window. A neighbor who was mowing his lawn at the time heard her screams and ran over to help her lower her children to the ground.

As the neighbor was taking the children to safety, a man came out of the home with a gun. The neighbor tried to talk the man down but the man shot at him. The neighbor returned fire, killing the man.

"All indications here, victim 2 (the neighbor) is a hero," said Nocco. "He was defending himself."

No names are being released due to Marsy's Law, which protects the identities of crime victims at their request.

Nocco lauded the neighbor for rushing in during the crisis.

"That had to be a horrific scene," he said. "Those small children were in a horrible situation. I can't imagine what they're going through right now."

Unfortunately, he said, situations like these are becoming all too common.

"Domestic violence is a horrible crime," said Nocco. "We see a large amount of death in our county due to domestic violence. It's the nexus to a lot of crime in our community."