Insets, from left: Ariel Gonzalez Rodriguez (Collier County Jail) and Jason Sheffield (Dignity Memorial). Background: The Naples, Florida, neighborhood where authorities say Rodriguez mistakenly shot Sheffield (WINK).
A Florida man who opened fire overnight believing a bear was raiding his chicken coop instead shot and killed his neighbor, authorities say.
Ariel Gonzalez Rodriguez, 25, has been charged with manslaughter with a firearm in connection with the death of Jason Sheffield, his 30-year-old neighbor in Naples.
“By intentionally firing a lethal weapon in a residential area and in the direction of a known residence, at an unidentified target during the nighttime hours, or without confirming the target’s identity or ensuring the area beyond the target was clear, Ariel Gonzalez Rodriguez engaged in conduct that grossly deviated from the standard of care expected of a reasonable person and demonstrated a reckless disregard for the safety of others,” detectives with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office concluded.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, Rodriguez called 911 just before 8:30 a.m. on March 27 and told dispatchers, in a panic, that he believed he had been firing at a bear outside his home in the 2700 block of 8th Street SE during the night. When he woke up and checked the area, however, he found Sheffield dead from a gunshot wound to the back.
Deputies who responded to the scene recovered multiple shell casings from two different caliber firearms. After being read his Miranda rights, Rodriguez told investigators he had been asleep on the couch when his girlfriend woke him and said she heard noises outside. She believed a wild animal may have been attacking the chicken coop and asked him to investigate, the affidavit said.
Rodriguez first armed himself with a small-caliber rifle and fired several warning shots, investigators wrote. He then returned inside, retrieved a more powerful rifle and went back out. He said he still heard movement and fired a shot into the ground in an attempt to scare off whatever was outside. At one point, according to the affidavit, Rodriguez claimed the source of the sound “began walking directly toward” him.
Authorities said Rodriguez then fired once toward the noise — a direction that also pointed toward Sheffield’s property. The sound stopped immediately afterward. Rodriguez acknowledged to detectives that he never actually saw what he was shooting at, according to the affidavit. He then went back inside and went to sleep, planning to inspect the area in the morning. When he later checked near the chicken coop, he did not find an animal.
Rodriguez walked over to Sheffield’s property and found him lying face down on the ground with blood coming from the back of his shirt. He called 911.
Rodriguez said he had no issues with Sheffield, according to the affidavit. In fact, the two were out grilling the night before the shooting. Rodriguez showed investigators a photo of the two of them. Sheffield was wearing the same clothes in the photo as when his body was found.
An autopsy found Sheffield died from a large-caliber gunshot wound to the back.
After a four-month investigation, authorities determined Rodriguez’s actions were “culpably negligent.” He was arrested on Tuesday and is being held in the Collier County Jail without bond. His next court dates are set for Aug. 4 and Aug. 24.
Sheffield leaves behind a wife and four children, his obituary said.
“Jason was a gifted guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Music was his language of love, one he shared with his children, his wife, his parents, and anyone lucky enough to hear him play. His songs will continue to echo in the hearts of those who knew him,” the obituary said.
The post Man confused neighbor for bear in chicken coop and fired volley of shots in the middle of the night, killing victim: Police first appeared on Law & Crime.
