Neighbors on edge after Cape Coral murder-suicide

On Saturday, the Cape Coral Police Department and SWAT team members swarmed a house in Cape Coral. This happened along SE 13th Avenue in Cape Coral.

Now, WINK News is trying to uncover how as killed in what we now know as a murder-suicide that began as a hostage standoff. For now, we know that two men are dead, and one woman was able to escape after she called 911.

Those that live near SE 13th Ave say they’re a bit shaken up. In the beginning, no one knew what was happening. They just saw SWAT team members everywhere.

They’ve since been made aware that a man died and that the woman involved survived quite the ordeal.

Cape Coral PD says they’re still trying to make sense of the murder-suicide that took place along SE 13th Ave on Saturday. So are the residents who live in this neighborhood.

Mike Mason has lived there for 13 years. However, he says he didn’t know much about the neighbor across the street from him. “I waved at her across the street once, ‘Hi, welcome to the neighborhood,’ but that’s about it,” Mason said. 

But that woman may have saved her own life. She says a man held her and a 50-year-old man hostage in that home. But, she was able to sneak away, call 911 and then leave the line open.

When officers arrived and got to the door, they said the woman ran out screaming. Just moments later, everyone heard the shots ring out.

“Before the shooting, early in the morning, I saw two guys like around her house, out in the front yard. I just went about my business, and around 11:30 in the morning, I hear there’s ‘bam, bam, bam,’ like what the heck was that?” said Mason.

According to Cape PD, Adrian Hernandez Martinez murdered the 50-year-old man and then took his own life.

Charles Bratcher also lives in Cape Coral. “It’s a shame that those two guys couldn’t man up and turn their backs and walk away from each other,” said Bratcher. 

Cape Coral police continue to investigate why those two men are now dead. Detectives will not release the name of the woman who was able to escape.