The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a homicide investigation in the area of Transport Road and Spruce Road in unincorporated Bartow. Deputies responded to that area Friday morning, June 11, 2021, at around 5:49 AM, in reference to a man being shot.
The victim, a man whose name is not being released due to Marsy’s Law, was found dead inside of a residence.
Deputies made contact with two witnesses at the residence and gathered suspect information. They were able to quickly locate the suspect in a car that was leaving the area, and the vehicle was stopped.
The suspect has been identified as 31-year-old Raul De Alejandro Rodriguez, Jr. who resides at 5316 Kirk Road, Bartow.
Based on evidence and witness statements at this early point in the investigation, De Alejandro Rodriguez was involved in an argument with the victim about the suspect dating the victim’s daughter. De Alejandro Rodriguez then shot the victim with a shotgun and fled the area with the weapon.
When deputies detained De Alejandro Rodriguez, he was in possession of a single shotgun shell in his pocket and another in a bag.
De Alejandro Rodriguez met the victim’s 17-year-old daughter because he was her father’s ‘dope dealer,’ the Sheriff said.
“The responding deputies arrived so quickly that they were able to set-up a tight perimeter and the Aviation Unit easily spotted the suspect trying to get away; he was detained very quickly. The investigation is ongoing, and Homicide Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators are working hard to gather evidence and statements.” – Grady Judd, Sheriff
“He was dangerous, he was violent, he was a drug dealer, he did what he wanted,” Sheriff Judd said. “He fought and argued with our victim, and this morning he goes into the house at gunpoint and takes him out of the bedroom and summarily executes him.”
“When we went there with our search warrant, we had to fight our way in with two different cans of wasp spray,” Judd said. “This place was unbelievable. You go into this mobile home and you find big gaping holes in the floor, no glass in the windows, wasp nests growing throughout the living and kitchen area. You find grass and flowers growing out of and from the roof of this place. It is unbelievable. You would look at that absent people being there and say it’s absolutely uninhabitable, and people were living in there.”
Raul De Alejandro Rodriguez, Jr’s prior criminal history consists of six felony and eight misdemeanor arrests. His charges includes: Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Drug Possessions, Hit and Run, Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor, Disorderly Conduct, DUI, DWLSR, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to Appear.
