The Martin County Sheriff's Office says 58-year-old Gregory Howard was shot and killed outside a home along Dixie Highway and Lundy Street Wednesday morning.
Erin Adams saw on Facebook that someone had been shot and raced to the scene after recognizing a familiar home in the background.
“I was scared," Adams said tearfully.
Adams feared it was her son’s godfather, Donald Cobb, who had been killed. Cobb lives not 50 feet from where a man’s body was found in the grass.
“I live in the trailer right there and I slept through the whole thing," said Cobb.
Other neighbors reported hearing about four shots.
“Disbelief. Can’t believe it. It’s a very quiet neighborhood. That’s why I live here," added Cobb.
The Martin County Sheriff’s Office says victim Gregory Howard has some sort of connection to the immediate area but investigators were unsure what it was. He was found dead just outside the home just after 7 Wednesday morning.
“There were multiple gunshots heard and he was hit more than once. It’s clearly not a suicide but a homicide," said Martin County Sheriff William Snyder.
Family members of the victim were too shaken to talk, but other neighbors are stunned by what happened.
“He was a good person. He never harmed nobody. That’s pretty much it," said Symone Rolle.
Donald Cobb said he was surprised when detectives knocked on his door.
“I slept through the whole thing. Maybe it’s from living in big cities like Massachusetts I don’t know. I didn’t hear I thing.”
The Sheriff's Office says it has some promising leads but is looking for more information.