Sheriff looking for clues in Port Charlotte shooting death

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office has released a statement asking the public for assistance in solving a homicide in the South Gulf Cove community.

According to a release by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, a man was found shot to death inside a home on Matecumbe Road.

Detectives ruled out suicide and called the 5 a.m. shooting on Thursday an “isolated incident” with no suspect in custody.

“We are asking our community for assistance in providing any information that may help us determine what happened and who else was involved,” said the statement.

Neighbors already said they want to know what happened to their neighbor and whether they need to be concerned.

“This is an unfortunate situation,” said the sheriff, “and we want to bring peace to the community and especially the loved ones of this individual. In order to do that, we must have all the facts. We are hoping that someone can provide us with something that will help bring closure to this case and restore peace of mind to the residents in the area.”

Deputies were at the scene overnight and into the next day, working hard to get those facts.

WINK News spoke with Brian Riley, a man who lives near the scene, and another neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous to gain some insight.

“I do have some friends down on that side of the street, and I’m hopeful it’s not something that happened to them. My neighbor around the corner, we know they’re fine. Friends up the street there, fine. We just don’t know who it is at this point, who might have suffered some kind of a loss,” Riley said.

“We feel it’s serious, and I talked to one of the cops on the corner. He just said, ‘The neighborhood’s safe,'” said the anonymous neighbor.

The sheriff’s office asks anyone who may have heard the gunshot or saw anything suspicious around 5 a.m. Thursday, call CCSO’s non-emergency number at 941-639-2101 or submit a tip through Facebook or via their free mobile app.