Details revealed in ‘botched’ Port Charlotte home invasion

New details have been released in the Port Charlotte home invasion shooting that left one dead.

Deputies poured into Beverly Avenue on May 25 after getting call after call from scared neighbors and someone from inside the house.

When neighbors felt safe enough to come out of their homes, they saw detectives scouring the neighborhood. Caution tape blocked off Beverly and Felton avenues to Starlite Lane.

“There’s a body in the street,” one witness said.

“It sort of was like, ‘Whoa, what?’ I was getting my lunch ready for work and I ran out, watched TV, and said, ‘What the hell is going on?’ And that’s when I found out what was … hits pretty close to home, you know,” Nelson, a neighbor, said.

Neighbors like Nelson are still on alert, three weeks later.

For weeks, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office would not talk about what they initially called a “botched” home invasion. The sheriff told WINK News that this is a complex investigation that will take some time.

Now, due to documents uncovered Friday, we know a little more.

The state attorney and Sheriff’s office believe four people targeted a home on Beverly Avenue.

Three of them are now under arrest and charged with murder. The fourth is dead.

Leah Jenness and Sha-Zear Mears, both 18, and a 17-year-old male are in custody. The fourth suspect, 33-year-old Barsher Smith, died one street over after being shot.

Prosecutors say the four suspects were at the home to rob the people living there of drugs and cash.

According to new documents, the teenagers — armed with guns — pointed them at three people in the house and assaulted them. They also shot two dogs, one of whom later died.

“Where are his parents? You know, I mean, I was raised by my mom … me and my brother … we had it rough, too, but we didn’t go robbing and stealing from people. We worked,” Nelson said.

Why the home invasion failed is not clear. It’s not known who pulled the trigger and killed Smith. It’s also not clear why deputies arrested a neighbor, Ethan Maaske, who they said saw the suspects running away and chased after them.

Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office detectives will only say that Maaske led deputies to arrest him for aggravated battery.

The only person killed was one of the suspects. Each of the surviving suspects faces felony murder charges — as well as many others.

“I would think … the way I grew up, you know, it was either going for money, for drugs or whatever. But I don’t know. Whoever comes in the house, if they pick the wrong house, you know, they reap what they sow,” Nelson said.

Neighbors were quick to point out the blood stain from the suspect who died that is still on the street, a constant reminder of what this neighborhood experienced.

Leah Jenness and Sha-Zear Mears will be in court Saturday morning. The state attorney plans to upgrade the charges against them to murder.