A fight between a man and a woman leaving a downtown bar early this morning escalated to physical blows and then gunshots, leaving the 31-year-old man dead and the 30-year old woman charged with second-degree murder, according to the Lakeland Police Department.
Police are not releasing the name of the victim, citing Marsy’s Law, which is intended to protect crime victims. The arrested woman is Sharainnia Gornail of 2401 2nd Street NW in Winter Haven.
Police were called to the area of Main Street and Kentucky Avenue just after 1:10 a.m. and learned that the couple struck each other several times at that intersection soon after leaving the Hookah Palace, according to police spokeswoman Robin Tillett.
“Gornail fetched a firearm from a car, shot the victim several times and left in a car driven by a friend,” Tillett said in a news release.
Gornail was driven to ER 24/7 on South Florida Avenue to have injuries treated, and the staff there notified police, Tillett said. After she was treated, Gornail was taken to the police station, where she admitted to having fought with the victim and shooting him, Tillett said.
Gornail told police she shot in self-defense after she was punched in the face. However, witness statements and evidence gathered at the scene “show that Gornail acted after there was no longer an active threat to her safety,” according to the news release.
Detectives are continuing to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Cory Lawson at 863.834.6900 or Cory.Lawson@lakelandgov.net.
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