Convicted felon faces murder charges after Spring Hill shooting leaves man, dog dead, 2 others injured
A law enforcement vehicle outside a fatal shooting scene in Spring Hill.
SPRING HILL, Fla. - The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting that killed a man and a dog and sent two others, including a teenage boy to the hospital.
Investigators say, Steven Laporta, 36, visited the victim’s home on Bathurst Avenue in Spring Hill just before midnight on Wednesday and used illegal drugs.
According to PCSO, Laporta got into an argument with another man over the drug use and he intentionally shot and killed a dog in the home before turning the gun on the other man. The victim was later taken to an area hospital.
Other people in the home confronted the suspect about the shootings and an argument ensued. The altercation escalated and a man and a teenage boy were shot.
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The man died at the scene and the teen was taken to an area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
The suspect fled the scene, but law enforcement officers found him about a mile away where he was detained.
Laporta, who is a convicted felon, was arrested and charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, shooting in a dwelling, felon in possession of a firearm, and felony animal cruelty.