Man, 18, wounded in drive-by shooting at mobile home park near Bithlo

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An 18-year-old man was injured Friday afternoon in a drive-by shooting at a mobile home park near Bithlo, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said.

The man, who wasn’t publicly identified, was shot shortly before 12:45 p.m. at a home on Windmill Grove Circle in the Deerwood mobile home park, Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel said.

“The victim was standing inside the residence when shots were fired from a vehicle outside the home,” Watrel said. “The vehicle and occupants fled the scene.”

The man was flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment. He’s now in stable condition and is expected to survive his injuries, Watrel said.

A woman in the neighborhood said she was watching television with her grandson when the wounded man burst into their home seeking help. %

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“She told me that she thought someone was trying to attack the cats with like fireworks,” said Jessica Tell, the woman’s daughter. “And then I guess the victim locked himself in the room, so she aided him and wrapped him up and everything.”

Tell said that though she doesn’t know the victim, her roommate does know him and was walking home from school with him at the time.

“They pointed the gun at her, too,” Tell said. “So she could have been killed."

Investigators said the gunman remains are large. %

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