Weekend Shooting Sends Two To Hospital
Winter Haven, Florida – An early morning encounter with Ledger a newspaper delivery vehicle has landed a man in the hospital with three bullet wounds and charges of Discharging a Firearm in Public.
On 5-12-13 at approximately 2:50 a.m., Ledger carriers Tiffany Simo and Douglas Romeo were delivering newspapers in the area of West Lake Cannon Terrace when a vehicle started following behind them. The vehicle, driven by Brian Scott Dickey, II (W/M, DOB 11-29-89, 2007 Ave. G., NW, Winter Haven) stayed behind the carriers for a short period of time. The carriers stopped to prepare a few more papers for delivery when they heard four pops. Dickey had discharged four rounds from a .380 Bersa handgun. Before they realized what was happening, Dickey was at the driver’s side banging on the window with the gun and pointing it at them demanding they open the door.
Fearing for both of their lives, Romeo retrieved his concealed firearm from a lockbox inside of the vehicle and fired through the window three times. Romeo does possess a valid State of Florida Concealed Weapons Permit.
Dickey was struck three times, once just under the collar bone on the right side, another entry a few inches below the first and a third graced his right arm. None of these were life threatening injuries.
A neighbor heard the shots and called 9-1-1 followed by another call from the victims. By the time police arrived, Dickey had left the scene in his 1996 4 door Oldsmobile.
A short time later, another call to 9-1-1 was received about a man who was at 2007 Ave. G., NW (Dickey’s resident, approximately .2 miles away from the shooting scene) with gunshot wounds. Officers found Dickey at the home and he was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center by ambulance.
After interviewing other residents at the home, it was determined that Dickey had consumed a large amount of alcohol earlier in the evening. He got into a verbal argument with his girlfriend and she contacted Dickey’s brother to come and intervene. When Dickey’s brother arrived at the home, they argued and it escalated. The brother left the home and Dickey got his .380 Bersa and drove off to locate his brother. He followed a vehicle, which he thought was his brother’s vehicle, onto West Lake Cannon Terrace. This vehicle turned out to be the vehicle of the victims, Simo and Romeo.
“This guy got much more than he bargained for,” said Chief Gary Hester. “These victims feared for their lives and did exactly what they needed to do. This could have turned out so much worse than it did.”
At the time of this release, Dickey remains at Lakeland Regional Medical Center in stable condition. Once he is released, he will be booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Discharging a Firearm in Public.