5 dead in Sarasota shooting, link to Fort Lauderdale double homicide suspected

Investigators are looking into the circumstances surrounding a violent incident in Sarasota on Tuesday that left five people dead in a home on Fallcrest Circle, near the intersection of Proctor and McIntosh roads, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

According to a release from the Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired at 12:24 p.m. advising that a man at a residence in the Amberlea neighborhood had been shot. When deputies arrived, neighbors were performing CPR on the victim. He was pronounced dead shortly after. 

Neighbors informed deputies that the victim's wife might be inside the house, the release states. When deputies entered the home, they found four additional deceased adults — two men and two women. 

The Sheriff's Office said all victims have been identified, and the suspect was among the deceased inside the residence. There were no survivors. Victims' names are not being released while next of kin is being notified.

During its investigation, the Sheriff's Office received information from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department that it was investigating a double homicide it believed was related to the Sarasota shooting. The release states that FLPD provided suspect vehicle information and advised that, following the Fort Lauderdale homicide, the suspect's vehicle was captured on camera traveling northbound through Punta Gorda prior to the Sarasota homicide.

According to the Sheriff's Office, detectives working with the Amberlea homeowners association and neighbors obtained video of the suspect's vehicle entering the neighborhood at 11:01 a.m. The sound of gunfire was captured shortly after on a neighbor's doorbell camera. Approximately 37 minutes later, the male victim who was found on the front lawn was seen entering the neighborhood in his vehicle. He approached the front door, where he was shot. Thereafter, no people were observed entering or exiting the residence until deputies arrived. 

In the release, the Sheriff's Office said the suspect's vehicle was located in the neighborhood and they know the suspect had been in a previous romantic relationship with one of the victims in Fort Lauderdale. That victim was connected to the victims in Sarasota, but the suspect's motivation for targeting the Sarasota victims is unknown.