Panhandler Shoots Woman Who Refuses To Give Spare Change: Sheriff

BRADENTON, FL — A panhandler faces attempted murder charges after shooting a woman who refused to give him money early Sunday, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Just after 5 a.m. Sunday, the victim, a woman who lives in a trailer behind the Seahorse Lounge located at 2608 9th Street W. in Bradenton, was searching the bar’s parking lot for discarded items, investigators said.

She was approached by a man, later identified as 18-year-old Jose Aldavera, asking for spare change. When she told him that she didn’t have any money, he pulled out a gun and shot her three times — once in the arm and twice in the torso, the sheriff’s office said.

Her husband heard the gunshots from their trailer and came out to help his wife, who was brought to Blake Medical Center after 911 was called. She remains hospitalized in stable condition and is expected to survive.

Aldavera ran away from the scene, but detectives established him as a suspect after reviewing surveillance video footage from the Seahorse Lounge. He was found and later confessed to shooting the victim and also admitted to a separate shooting that occurred the same night in Bradenton, the sheriff’s office said.

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He was arrested and charged with attempted murder. The investigation is ongoing.