ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida man was arrested Sunday after he fatally shot another man while committing a home burglary and was shot in the leg while trying to get away, deputies said.
Javier Medina-Tamayo, 20, faces charges of first-degree murder, occupied burglary with a firearm, home invasion robbery with a firearm, shooting into an occupied building and wearing a mask during the commission of a felony.
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Deputies were called to a shooting Saturday night on Linda Court in Royal Palm Beach. When they arrived, they found a man lying dead on the kitchen floor and Medina-Tamayo lying in the middle of Linda Court with a gunshot wound to his leg.
According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office probable cause affidavit, the victim, identified as Enrique Blanco, 38, and his fiancée were asleep in their bed when they woke up to a loud bang coming from their living room. As Blanco went to the rear sliding-glass door to see what was going on, Shakira Blanco heard another loud bang and then saw her fiancé fall to the ground.
Enrique Blanco, while gasping for air, said, "They shot me." Shakira Blanco then saw a masked gunman, who had chipped away at the glass of the sliding door, enter the kitchen and point a gun at her.
Shakira Blanco screamed and begged the gunman not to kill her, at which time she ran out the front door.
A neighbor heard the commotion, grabbed his gun and went outside to see the gunman pedaling away on a bicycle. Once the neighbor yelled at him, Medina-Tamayo shot at the neighbor, who returned fire, striking Medina-Tamayo, deputies said.
Medina-Tamayo was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where detectives recovered Enrique Blanco's personal property, including his wallet, two gold bracelets and a gold watch, from Medina-Tamayo's pants pockets, deputies said.
Although he had the victim's belongings, Medina-Tamayo denied any involvement in the crime, deputies said.