ROYAL PALM BEACH, FL– A 37-year-old Florida man has been arrested after he fatally shot another man in what he says was “self-defense.”
The shooting occurred on June 3rd at a home in the 100 block of Nottingham Road, near Preservation Park.
Authorities say they found the victim with five gunshot wounds to the back and one gunshot wound to the head.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The gunman identified as Sammie Thomas, told authorities that the unidentified 32-year-old man arrived at the home to pick up two children but became upset when he was told the children were not ready.
The 32-year-old man got into an argument with a woman inside of the home and according to Thomas, struck the woman.
Thomas told authorities that he got involved in the argument and that’s when the man pointed a gun at both him and the woman so Thomas shot the man several times.
According to the report, the woman also told authorities that the 32-year-old pointed a gun at her and Thomas during the argument.
Thomas, however, was arrested on Thursday after an autopsy revealed that three of the gunshot wounds were consistent with being shot in the back while lying on the ground.
In addition to a murder charge, Thomas also faces two counts of aggravated child abuse because there were two children in the household at the time of the shooting.
He has been appointed a public attorney.