Week in Lehigh Acres ends with 4th shooting

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. – Deputies are investigating a homicide after discovering a body in a car Saturday night, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

The body was identified as Leisle Izquierdo, 30, according to LCSO. His body was found when deputies responded to a call about a shooting on Southwest 30th Street near South Haviland and South Harry avenues around 9:30 p.m, LCSO said.

The alleged shooting was the fourth Lehigh Acres shooting to occur in one week.

Southwest 30th Street is minutes away from the home of 38-year-old Terrence Braxton, who was shot days before on March 29 at Meadow Road. Braxton was last listed in critical condition at Lee Memorial Hospital. Two other shooting occurred nearby on March 27 and 28.

Izquierdo was killed in his car, which was parked just northwest of Daniels Parkway.

Three men broke in and one of them shot Izquierdo in his head from the backseat, a friend said.

One woman said Izquierdo’s friend ran about five blocks trying to find help and arrived at her house.

“He ran until he got to us. It took him five blocks to find help. That’s scary,” the woman said. “He ran through a canal and everything so by the time he got to me he was soaked. He ran up to my porch and he’s like ‘Help me, please. Somebody shot my friend in the head. He’s dead. I’m scared for my life.'”

She immediately called 911 but said she struggled to provide information to dispatchers since she did not know what was going on.

“They’re asking me everything that’s going on and I’m like ‘Look, this guy just showed up and he’s hysterical.’ I’m trying to get information out of him the way he’s trying to get information out of us,” the woman said.

Several blocks away, Izquierdo was dying in his car, according to the friend. Izquierdo’s older brother, Narset Benavides, said he felt an impulse to respond to his brother’s killing.

“Of course as a big brother, I want to go over there and retaliate to those people, you know , like every family would do,” he said.

Benavides said he hopes people will not assume the worst about his brother. He does not know what his brother was doing Saturday night, but said Izquierdo did not deserve death.

“It could have been just because they’re mistaken — he’s dead. It could have been because he was selling drugs — it’s already done,” Benavides said. “People don’t know people. They just assume if he was in a car doing something they’re just going to be like ‘He’s a bad guy.'”

Neighbors said they did not hear anything suspicious Saturday night.

The incident is believed to be isolated and presents no threat to the community, deputies said. Benavides said detectives told him two people have been arrested. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has not confirmed whether any arrests have been made.

If you have any information you are asked to please call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office at (239) 477-1000 or to remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS(8477).