Crime & Safety

Man Who Accidentally Killed Brother During Drug Debt Shooting Gets 20 Years

The intended targets survived, but Joshua T. Lopez's 17-year-old brother wasn't so lucky.

A 20-year-old Bradenton man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison Wednesday for his role in a shooting over a drug debt in which he accidentally killed his brother.

Joshua T. Lopez was arrested by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office shortly after the crime April 8, 2012. Authorities said Lopez and his 17-year-old brother drove to an apartment in the 3900 block of Butler Avenue that Sunday afternoon to collect the $300 debt and began shooting as they got out of their vehicle. 

One of the bullets narrowly missed one of the intended victims, a man who was standing in the doorway; another bullet from Joshua Lopez's gun struck his brother in the back of the head.

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Lopez continued running through the apartment, caught up with a second man in the back yard and shot him twice, officials said. That victim survived; Lopez’s brother died at the scene.

Lopez pleaded guilty to attempted murder Tuesday, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

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