Firearms Owners Against Crime
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Brevard County sheriff’s investigators are reviewing a deadly shooting that happened after a resident said two masked men tried to break into his home Wednesday in Central Brevard, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Deputies also are searching for a burglary suspect who fled from the home after gunshots rang out, fatally wounding the second suspect during the botched daytime break-in.
Deputies responded about noon Wednesday to a home in the 3700 block of Brophy Boulevard in an unincorporated area near Cocoa.
They located the body of an unidentified burglary suspect, believed to be in his mid-20s, in the backyard of the one-story home.
The shooting — being investigated as a possible self-defense case — is the 33rd reported homicide in Brevard County since January and the 11th since Halloween.
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The incident unfolded after a 911 caller told dispatchers he shot a person dressed in black who broke out a window and was attempting to climb inside his home.
The unnamed man said he fired off at least one shot, striking the suspected burglar, who then fell back alone into the backyard, reports showed.
A second person who accompanied the suspected burglar has not been located, and it was not immediately known if he was injured, the Sheriff’s Office reported in a statement.
The second suspect was seen wearing black pants with white stripes, a black shirt and possibly a white hoodie or white shirt wrapped around his head, law enforcement authorities reported. It was not immediately known if the resident knew either of the suspected burglars.
Homicide agents remained through the night Wednesday at the home where the shooting took place, talking with neighbors and directing forensic investigators taking photos of the crime scene.
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Thursday, sheriff's agents converged on a Cocoa neighborhood off Blake Avenue and Bernard Street where a blue vehicle was found that family members said belonged to the man who was shot to death.
Crime scene tape was roped around nearby trees as investigators strolled through a field, looking into several vehicles parked in the grass.
"His name is Antonio Wallace. He was my first cousin, he was a great guy, went to college to play ball and came back to work the same job for years," said Devon Hinson, watching as deputies walked through the field where the car was sitting off Bernard Street.
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Like other family members, he heard about the shooting and was hoping for more answers, he said.
Family members said they were stunned over what happened.
"This...this was not him. You just have to watch out for who you get caught up with," said Danielle Hinson, another cousin of the deceased man.
An autopsy was slated to be conducted Thursday.
An investigation is ongoing.
Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641, jdgallop@floridatoday.com and Twitter @JDGallop