House Guest Cut Utility Cables Before Fatally Shooting Man: Sheriff

Sarasota FL

20 April, 2022

10:06 AM

Description

SARASOTA COUNTY, FL — A Jacksonville man has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting that happened early Tuesday morning in Sarasota. Patrick Eckardt, 30, was charged with second-degree murder and remains in custody, according to a news release from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. Just before 2 a.m., deputies were called to a home in the 2500 block of Green Oak Court, where they found a 64-year-old man dead with several gunshot wounds, the sheriff's office said. Although the incident is domestic in nature, the family of the victim chose to keep his identity private under Marsy's Law, SCSO said. Patrick Eckardt, 30, of Jacksonville was charged with second-degree murder. (Sarasota County Sheriff's Office)Eckardt, who was visiting the home where the shooting took place, was immediately identified as the suspect. Witnesses told deputies that he was cutting utility cables outside the home, which led to an argument with the victim. As the argument escalated, Eckardt pulled a handgun from a holster on his waistband and fired it at the victim several times before driving away in a pick-up truck, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies found him traveling west on Fruitville Road and pulled him over. Eckardt was taken into custody and brought to the Sarasota County Correctional Facility. Detectives later found a gun in the glove compartment. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, the sheriff's office said.