RUSKIN, Fla. (WWSB) – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested two men after deputies located a vehicle connected to a shooting reported early Saturday morning in Ruskin.
HCSO said its 911 dispatch center received a call at 2:14 a.m. on March 14, 2026, reporting a shooting near 5290 Cockroach Bay Road. Occupants of an RV told deputies a red vehicle drove by and fired multiple rounds toward the RV while they were sleeping, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies who responded to the scene found multiple spent shell casings and other evidence “consistent with a shooting in the area,” according to HCSO.
Deputies located a vehicle matching the description traveling eastbound from the scene and conducted a traffic stop, HCSO said. Deputies reported seeing evidence consistent with a discharged firearm inside the vehicle.
Man dead, woman injured in overnight shooting
The driver, Dustin Wise, 33, admitted to discharging multiple rounds into the air, HCSO said. He was arrested and faces one count of discharge of a firearm from a vehicle (occupant), according to the sheriff’s office.
The passenger, Christopher Kickliter, 50, admitted to possessing and loading the firearm and firing it, despite being a convicted felon currently on probation until 2027, HCSO said.
Kickliter was arrested and charged with:
Shooting at, within, or into a vehicleFelon in possession of ammunitionFelon in possession of a firearmDischarge of a firearm from a vehicle (occupant)VOP burglary, armed with explosive or weaponVOP first-degree murder/premeditated or attemptedVOP aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer/firefighter/EMS (x4)VOP fleeing to elude law enforcement at high speed, no regard
HCSO said Kickliter previously served 20 years in prison for two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and aggravated fleeing to elude.
“This was an extremely dangerous situation that could have had a much different outcome,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said. “These individuals showed a reckless disregard for human life. Thanks to the swift response of our deputies, they were quickly located and taken into custody.”
No injuries were reported, HCSO said. The investigation remains ongoing, and any updates will come from the Public Affairs Office.
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