Man shot girlfriend and her daughter as they fled condo during fight, Florida cops say

An argument in one of Florida’s gated communities turned violent when a man began firing shots as his girlfriend and her adult daughter ran for cover, according to investigators.

Both women were hit, but are expected to recover, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Dec. 22 news release.

It happened late Thursday, Dec. 21, in Palm City, and ended when a SWAT team forced 60-year-old Shaun Dougherty to surrender, officials said. Palm City is about 33 miles north of West Palm Beach.

“The victims told detectives that Dougherty became enraged after a disagreement. So he shot his girlfriend in the neck then in the leg as she tried to run,” the sheriff’s office said.

“The victim’s adult daughter, who was in the home at the time, ran out of her bedroom after hearing the shots. Dougherty then shot her as she also tried to run. Both women made it outside to a neighbors and called 911.”

Dougherty was “heavily intoxicated, holding a bottle a liquor” when he surrendered, TCPalm.com reports.

He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, the sheriff’s office says.

Investigators say he began shooting at “his 65-year-old girlfriend at point-blank range” as she sat on a couch in the condominium, WPTV says. Her daughter — “who is in her 40s” — was hit in the shoulder, the station said.

The two women were taken to a hospital and details of their condition have not been released.

This story was originally published December 26, 2023 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Man shot girlfriend and her daughter as they fled condo during fight, Florida cops say."