A 25-year-old man has been charged with firearm manslaughter for allegedly killing his neighbor after mistaking him for a bear during an incident in March in Naples, Florida.
Collier County authorities said Ariel Gonzalez Rodriguez was arrested Tuesday, several months after the investigation into the death of Jason Sheffield, who was shot while on a neighboring property, concluded.
The investigation: he believed that a bear was attacking his animals
According to the arrest affidavit, on the night of the incident, Rodriguez's wife, Katherin Hidalgo, heard a noise around midnight and feared that a wild animal was attacking the farm animals she kept in the backyard of the home.
According to the court document, Hidalgo woke up her husband, who initially went out with a smaller caliber rifle to inspect the area. Shortly afterward he returned and told him that he thought he had seen a bear, so he grabbed a larger caliber weapon before leaving again.
Black bears can be found in different areas of Florida, according to the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Rodríguez later told investigators that he first fired a shot toward the ground. He then claimed that he heard the noise again and believed that the supposed animal was approaching to attack him, so he fired another shot in the direction of the neighboring property, at approximately waist height.
He discovered his neighbor's body the next morning
Hidalgo told investigators that she heard at least two gunshots before her husband returned to the home.
According to his testimony, Rodríguez told him that whatever was making the noise — and that he believed it was a bear — was getting closer, so he fired a couple of “warning shots.”
The woman also indicated that her husband decided not to inspect the area during the night for fear of having injured the animal and being attacked if he approached.
Around 8:00 a.m. the next day, Rodríguez first walked through his land without finding anything out of the ordinary. He then entered the neighboring property, where he found Sheffield lying face down, with visible blood stains.
According to the affidavit, after the discovery, Rodríguez returned to his wife and told her that he had shot someone. Shortly afterward he called 911 and remained in communication with the operators until the officers arrived.
Investigators noted that during the emergency call the man appeared upset and explained that the night before he had shot at a noise that he thought was a bear, but now he thought he had accidentally hit his neighbor.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found Sheffield dead behind a chicken coop, in an area with abundant vegetation.
The defense asks to wait for the judicial process
After learning of the accusation, Rodríguez's lawyer, Evan Pfeifer, expressed his condolences to the victim's family and recalled that his client maintains the presumption of innocence.
"A man's life was taken from him and his family is going through a situation that no family should have to experience. No jury or judge has determined my client's guilt. My client is innocent until proven guilty and that principle remains in force. We will do our job where it belongs: in court," the lawyer said in a statement.
The case will now continue its course in the Florida judicial system, where authorities must determine the criminal responsibility of the accused for the death of his neighbor.
