Fugitive arrested in murder of Fort Lauderdale senior

Arrest stems from SWAT situation in early September

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Fort Lauderdale police announced Friday that Michael Robert Schnitzerling, 29, of Delray Beach, has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting.

The arrest stems from a Sept. 12 incident in which a SWAT team responded to a possible barricade situation at 2811 Northeast 57th Street in Fort Lauderdale where two victims had been shot.

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The first victim was shot multiple times and fled to a neighbor's house nearby to seek help, finding Artis Rucker, who applied aid.

"I literally had to take my hand and lift his eyelids up so he could see me," Rucker said. He said he had been cleaning the pool next door when he encountered the victim.

The victim was rushed to Broward Health Medical Center, treated and eventually recovered from his injuries. Fort Lauderdale police officers at the scene had been alerted to the possibility of an additional victim inside, a statement read.

After Fort Lauderdale SWAT entered the home, they discovered Bruce Salituri, 59, of Fort Lauderdale, already dead.

"We eventually made entry into the residence where we found that individual deceased inside the residence," Fort Lauderdale Police Department spokeswoman Casey Liening said in September.

Fort Lauderdale Homicide Unit detectives identified Schnitzerling as the suspect, and Fort Lauderdale Fugitive Unit detectives and U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force detectives took him into custody on Wednesday afternoon.

This is an active investigation and police are encouraging anyone with information about the incident to contact Homicide Unit Detectives at 954-828-5534.


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