By Taylor M. Coffman
Herald Correspondent
On Dec. 3rd, 51-year-old Seminole County resident and U.S. Army veteran Manuel A. Rosado was shot and killed following an altercation with an unnamed shooter, leaving many questions in his wake.
Around 1 a.m., the Seminole County Sheriff’s office responded to reports of an altercation between two motorists on the 1700 block of Rutledge Road, just outside of Rosado’s home in the Mandarin Estates subdivision. Deputies report that Rosado and the unknown shooter were involved in “a verbal dispute following a traffic-related incident,” which resulted in Rosado being shot and pronounced dead on scene.
According to his family, Rosado was on his way home from a shift at AJA Video Systems when he noticed an argument occurring in a vehicle parked outside on his street. He reportedly approached the vehicle “to make sure everyone was safe,” at which point he was shot multiple times.
Manuel Rosado served in the U.S. Army between 1993 to 2002, where he earned a reputation for being “integrity and quiet strength.” His family describe him as being “calm, non-aggressive and protective by nature,” though reports from the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office indicate that both parties involved in the incident were armed and a firearm belonging to Rosado was recovered from the scene of the shooting. “Both individuals had a legitimate reason for being in the subdivision at the time of the incident,” said the Sheriff’s Office in a press release.“The shooter immediately called 911, remained on scene, and has been cooperative with the investigation.”
The shooter was reportedly released under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Law, which justifies the use of deadly force if a person believes themselves to be under the imminent threat of death or great bodily harm. The State Attorney’s office has not filed any charges at this time, but Rosado’s family has maintained that he was not in the wrong, calling for justice in a “thorough and transparent investigation” and a reevaluation of the shooter’s Stand Your Ground protection.
Manuel Rosado is survived by his wife, two daughters, and his son. The investigation into his death is still ongoing, and the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is on the lookout for any available surveillance or camera footage that may have captured the incident or events leading up to it. Anyone with additional information on the shooting is encouraged to contact the Seminole County Sheriff's Office at 407-665-6650 or call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS.
