http://www.chronicleonline.com/content/suspect-dies-shootingSuspect dies in shooting
Home invasion attempt sparks gun battle; victim wounded, second suspect at large
By Sandra Frederick
Friday, June 22, 2012 at 12:00 am (Updated: June 22, 12:01 am)
CRYSTAL RIVER � Shortly before midnight Wednesday, two masked men with guns kicked in the front door of a home on West Cedar Lake Drive, and as they pushed a woman to the floor, her son retaliated with gunfire.
Lt. Justin Ferrara with the Citrus County Sheriff�s Office heads up the Major Crimes Unit investigation Thursday morning. A call came into dispatch around midnight Wednesday that shots had been fired following a home invasion.
After a barrage of bullets, a car squealed its tires and took off from the home, and Shawn Michael Wright, 42, of Citrus Springs, identified by police as a suspect, remained on the front lawn. Wright died of the wounds he received during the exchange of gunfire.
�It woke me up,� said Don Huber, the next door neighbor, on Thursday afternoon as he watched the police wrap up the crime scene investigation. �I looked outside and I could see the tail lights of a car and it went speeding out. All I heard was burning rubber. They were moving.�
Thursday afternoon, police found Wright�s black Ford pickup truck several miles away; however, police do not know if it was involved in the incident.
Detectives are still looking for any tips that may lead them to the identity of the second suspect, who is also believed to be wounded. He remains at large and officials said he is armed and dangerous. He was last seen wearing denim pants and a dark-colored shirt.
According to Gail Tierney, spokeswoman for the Citrus County Sheriff�s Office, when the son heard his mother�s screams, he came out from a back room armed with a gun.
Shots were fired, and the volley of gunfire continued out into the front yard.
The 25-year-old man, who police said was also injured during the shooting, was transported by his 62-year-old mother to a local hospital. He was treated and released later in the day.
The Chronicle is not printing the names of the victims for safety reasons.
Witnesses said the second suspect sped from the scene in an unknown vehicle and in an unknown direction. An alert was issued locally and to neighboring counties.
The investigation remains open and active.
An unidentified neighbor walking past the house on Thursday was shocked by the violent crime and said the neighborhood was a safe and quiet place to live.
�In this case, he was protecting more than his property; he was protecting his mother,� he said.
If anyone has information about this crime or the identity of the second suspect, call 911 or contact Crime Stoppers of Citrus County Inc. Text CITRUS plus your tip to 274637 (CRIMES), click on
www.crimestoppers citrus.com, or call 1-888-ANY-TIPS toll-free.
Tipsters may remain completely anonymous and be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $1,000.