An 80-year-old man was shot at the Southside Plaza in Leesburg Monday morning in what appears to be a failed carjacking attempt.
Leesburg Police were called to the plaza, where a popular Sav-A-Lot store is located, at about 9:30 a.m. When they arrived, they made contact with the victim, who had been shot at least once in the leg and was receiving first aid from bystanders.
The victim told officers that he had just parked his car when he was approached by a black man armed with a handgun. He said the man demanded his keys and when he wouldn’t give them to him, he was shot, the report says, adding that a Leesburg officer applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg and he was airlifted to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Leesburg officers immediately established a perimeter and requested a K-9 unit to respond. But attempts to locate the suspect were unsuccessful after an extensive ground search.
Detectives are still investigating the shooting and are continuing to follow leads as they become available. The suspect was described as a thin black male, about 5-foot-nine-inches tall, in his late-twenties or early-thirties. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, white tank top, black/gray camo shorts and black shoes, police say.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information about it is asked to contact Leesburg Police detectives at (352) 728-9862 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
