DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. – Witnesses credited a man with holding a burglar for police after a shooting one block away.
The Broward Sheriff's Office responded to reports of shots fired near Southwest 3rd Street and 2nd Avenue in Deerfield Beach about 5 a.m. Tuesday.
When deputies arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to North Broward Medical Center in critical condition.
Police then received another call about a home burglar who was caught one block away.
Witnesses said the burglar broke into Charles Lawrence's house through a window and was hiding in a child's bedroom. Lawrence, 36, then tackled the burglar and held him until police arrived.
"That's right. Him and his wife and his stepson put the whooping on him," said Jannie Morris, Lawrence's aunt. "He said, 'Hide me, help me,' and they were like, 'No, we're calling the police,' and he pulled out a gun and tried to shoot him, too, and they got into a fight."
Lawrence's head was bandaged after the incident. Witnesses said the burglar pistol whipped him.
"He got hit in the head with a gun," said Debra Parrish, Lawrence's mother.
It's unclear if the home burglar also shot the man at the nearby home.
"Right now, BSO's Violent Crimes unit is investigating whether or not these two instances are related," said deputy Dani Moschella.