A 21-year-old Florida man has been charged with fabricating a carjacking after accidentally shooting himself in the leg.
According to deputies, on June 30, 2023, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Hernando County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the area of Shoal Line Boulevard and Cortez Boulevard about an attempted car-jacking/shooting.
The victim, also the suspect in this case, Dakotah Wood, 21, told deputies while at Linda Pedersen Park, two unknown black males attempted to steal his vehicle.
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Wood said the men displayed a firearm and threatened to kill him before shooting him in the thigh and collected the shell casing before fleeing the area on foot.
After being shot, Wood said he obtained his personal firearm and fired approximately five rounds in self-defense. Wood further advised he believed he had hit one of the suspects several times.
Following the shooting, Wood told investigators that he relocated from the park to the intersection of Cortez Boulevard and Shoal Line Boulevard to create a safe distance from the suspects.
Wood was transported from the scene to an area hospital for treatment of his gunshot wound. The Forensic Unit responded to collect and process evidence at the scene.
When detectives interviewed Wood at the hospital, he said fabricated his original story.
Wood said he drove to Linda Pedersen Park because he was upset over issues he was having with his girlfriend, and he was “playing” with his firearm in his vehicle when the firearm accidentally discharged, hitting him in the thigh.
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Wood said he made up the story about the attempted car-jacking because he did not want to get into trouble.
He was arrested on charges of Tampering with or Fabricating Physical Evidence, False Reports of Commission of Crimes, and Discharging a Firearm in Public or Residential Property. Wood’s bond was set at $7,000.
Wood, who worked as a telecommunicator at the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, resigned while the investigation was in progress.
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said, “These types of situations are relatively rare, unfortunate, and unpleasant. My administration, however, has a very public reputation of holding my people accountable for their actions. The public can be confident that when an employee does something of this nature, they will forfeit their ability to be associated with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office.”
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