SANFORD, Fla. -- A mini-caravan of cop cars and other law enforcement vehicles descended on a quiet neighborhood Wednesday in this waterfront city in response to what appeared to be a domestic-related attempted murder-suicide involving gunfire with a young woman pronounced dead on arrival at Seminole County Regional Hospital and her boyfriend barely clinging to life after surgery.
Details as to which was the shooter or what prompted the gunfire remains under investigation.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred as described by Sanford PD spokeswoman Bianca Gillet in the wake of the 8:40 a.m. in the deadly encounter: "The Sanford Police Department received a 9-1-1 call from a male stating he had been shot inside his residence located at 2517 Orange Avenue.
"When Sanford officers arrived at the home, the 9-1-1 caller was unable to come to the door," Gillet told Headline Surfer an email media alert. "Officers forced entry into the home and discovered two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds to the head in one of the bedrooms."
The shooting victims, Elisha Gilmore, a 27-year-old man, and Juhi Paramar, a 25-year-old woman, were both transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital. She died at the Sanford hospital shortly upon arrival while Gilmore was being treated for life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred in the deadly encounter as described by Sanford PD spokeswoman Bianca Gillet in the wake of the 8:40 a.m. incident: "The Sanford Police Department received a 9-1-1 call from a male stating he had been shot inside his residence located at 2517 Orange Avenue.
"When Sanford officers arrived at the home, the 9-1-1 caller was unable to come to the door," Gillet told Headline Surfer in an email media alert. "Officers forced entry into the home and discovered two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds to the head in one of the bedrooms."
The shooting victims, Elisha Gilmore, 27-year-old man, and Juhi Paramar, a 25-year-old woman, were both transported to Central Florida Regional Hospital. She died at the Sanford hospital shortly upon arrival while Gilmore was being treated for life-threatening gunshot wounds.
Based on the preliminary investigation, Sanford cops learned Gilmore and Paramar were involved in a relationship. The nature of the events leading up to the shooting are still under investigation.
And while Sanford cops say this was an isolated crime involving only the two shooting victims inside the home, they would not confirm reports from the scene that Gilmore was the shooter in the attempted suicide murder that resulted in the death of his girlfriend, who had her own residence, but was a frequent overnight guest of Gilmore's.
Diane Hanlon, a neighbor told a Channel 9 WFTV Eyewitness News Camera Crew on scene that she was startled by the massive law enforcement response, during which she saw police in possession of a semiautomatic handgun and a shotgun being carried out from the house.
"All of a sudden, the street was being swamped," Hanlon said in describing what saw unfolding in the quiet neighborhood. "(Police) were getting out of the cars and kicking down the door ... they withdrew their guns (and) they took the door down."
The realization that something bad had occurred from Hanlon's point of view was when Hanlon saw that "there were two ambulances that came and they took two people out."
That Sanford had nine homicides last year, most of them drug-related, Wednesday's email media news alert from the Sanford PD, included a statement from Police Chief Cecil Smith on the city's first killing of 2018.
"After hearing the news of a tragic incident such as this, there is an immediate question as to ‘why’ this occurred," Smith said, adding, "We want to find the answers for the victims, their families, and our community. Our investigators have been working non-stop writing search warrants, interviewing many people connected to both individuals and processing physical evidence. We ask for everyone’s patience as we work to get those answers accurately so that justice may be served.”
That Sanford had nine homicides last year, most of them drug-related, Wednesday's email media news alert from the Sanford PD, included a statement from Police Chief Cecil Smith. shown here in this Headline Surfer file photo, on the first killing of 2018:
"After hearing the news of a tragic incident such as this, there is an immediate question as to ‘why’ this occurred, Smith said," adding, "We want to find the answers for the victims, their families, and our community. Our investigators have been working non-stop writing search warrants, interviewing many people connected to both individuals and processing physical evidence. We ask for everyone’s patience as we work to get those answers accurately so that justice may be served.”
Police did not release specific details as to whether one or both of the recovered firearms were used in either of the wounds suffered by the man and woman, and if, based on the 9-1-1 call made by Gilmore that he, indeed was the shooter.
Police have not yet indicated where the weapons were located where the two wounded victims were found when cops found them in one of the bedrooms.