Posted: November 14, 2023
The Punta Gorda Police Department responded to two unrelated shootings yesterday. The first occurred on Mary Street at approximately 8:20 a.m. An individual discharged a firearm in the neighborhood causing all Punta Gorda schools to go on lockdown as a precautionary measure due to the proximity. The reason for the discharge of the firearm is still under investigation, but it does not appear that anyone was injured. There was no direct threat to any of the schools.
The second shooting call occurred at approximately 1:45 p.m. near Atares Drive. This incident involved Marshal William Francis, a twenty-one-year-old from Port Charlotte, who was involved in a domestic disturbance that moved from a home on Atares Drive into the roadway. The victim ran away from Marshal toward several golfers near the seventh hole of the St. Andrews Golf Course. When the golfers attempted to intervene, Marshall fired several shots into the air from a handgun. Officers arrived quickly and took Marshal into custody before the situation escalated further and no one was injured by the firearm. He was transported to the Charlotte County Jail and charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Battery.
Both of these incidents were isolated and there is no threat to the general public.