Polk County family left without father after deadly weekend shooting
LAKELAND, Fla. - A motive is still unknown in the fatal shooting of a 36-year-old father of three in Lakeland.
The shooting happened at 11:20 p.m. on Saturday in the 5500 block of Deeson Road in Lakeland, which is an area that falls within Hillsborough County. Shannon Owens, 31, is facing several charges, including second-degree murder in the death of Bobby Coots.
Deanna Stammer and Coots were together for 10 years. She shared how he loved being a dad to their three children aged, 7, 9 and 15, and he was a man of God who worked hard to provide for his family.
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"The hardest thing I've ever done was tell my kids that their dad was taken to be an angel for God," said Stammer. "No mother should ever have to explain that feeling to a child."
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the suspect, Owens, was located when deputies arrived at the scene after he was detained by several witnesses. During their investigation, detectives determined that the victim arrived at the property and made verbal contact with Owens before a gunshot was heard.
Charles Calliff said it happened at his home when the victim named "Bobby" came to visit. Before that night, he said he only saw Owens a couple of times.
"I thought I heard Bobby's yell. I never heard Bobby raise his voice," he said. "Next thing I heard was a shot. It was the worst shot I ever heard."
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Witnesses said when they discovered the victim with an upper-body gunshot wound, Owens was trying to remove the body.
"I had [Owens] lay down over here by the truck and told him not to move," Calliff said. "I said ‘get on your feet,’ walked him up to the front, and I made him sit down in a chair, under the carport."
Stammer said she knew Owens too from a long time ago when their parents dated. It's hard for her to imagine he'd do what he's being accused of.
"The little boy I knew, I couldn't picture him doing that. In my heart," said Stammer. "But at the same time, they have him as the suspect and the person who did it. I have to accept that regardless of it's true or not true."
She can't comment on the ongoing investigation, but knows Coots and Owens recently became acquaintances, and she has this word of caution.
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"Always second guess who you're around if you don't know them, because you never know what anybody's capable of," she said. "And in the blink of an eye, it could all be over."
A spokesperson with the sheriff's office said the case is still an active investigation and there's no update at this time.