PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — An alleged dispute between neighbors led to two men being shot and killed, a woman being held hostage for more than two hours, and a large law enforcement response in Port St. Lucie, according to police.
According to the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD), officers responded around 3:15 p.m. Monday to a shooting near SE Tropical Circle. Residents were asked to stay indoors as police investigated. The two men shot were from separate homes—one was found outside his house, the other in his garage.
PSLPD says the suspect, identified as 62-year-old Paul Maraio, allegedly ran into a third home and took the woman hostage. The rare standoff prompted a SWAT response and the use of drones as the department’s crisis negotiation team spoke with the man for two and a half hours until the woman was released.
See also: Man convicted after stabbing roommate to death back in June
Police say Maraio then barricaded himself and told law enforcement he shot himself, police say. PSLPD said when they made entry, the suspect was suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest.
Port St Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk said the deadly violence stemmed from a dispute.
“It appears that there was some ongoing neighbor dispute,” Niemczyk. “And something just brought our suspect to the edge today where he took things into his own hands.”
Maraio was taken to a nearby hospital for the injuries he had sustained, police say.
PSLPD says the names of the victims won’t be released on Monday night.
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