Shaun Dougherty shot his girlfriend and her adult daughter on the night of Dec. 21, 2023, deputies said. (Images: Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
A man is accused of shooting his girlfriend and her adult daughter, even as the women tried to escape.
Shaun Dougherty, 60, faces two counts of attempted murder in Martin County, Florida.
Authorities said that the defendant was “highly intoxicated” Thursday night when he arrived at his home, located in a gated community off Greenwood Way in Palm City, according to a sheriff’s office press statement and a report from West Palm Beach NBC affiliate WPTV.
Dougherty allegedly started arguing with his girlfriend over their relationship. She rejected him after he demanded sex, detectives reportedly said.
At some point, Dougherty allegedly shot her in the neck, and then, when she tried to run, in her leg.
The woman’s adult daughter, who was at the home, ran out of her bedroom after hearing the shots, but Dougherty shot her as she tried to run, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Both women made it outside to a neighbors and called 911,” deputies said. “MCSO SWAT Team was called out and surrounded the home, forcing Dougherty out. He was taken into custody. Both victims were transported to the hospital and are expected to recover.”
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William Wagner, a neighbor, described hearing “foul loud bangs,” according to WPTV. Believing this to be fireworks at first, he looked out his window.
“Then I started hearing people yelling in agony,” Wagner said. “Then I heard them yell, ‘Call the cops.’”
Another neighbor, Les Frost, reportedly described getting a knock on the door seconds after the shooting. It was Dougherty’s girlfriend.
“We heard the banging on the door,” Frost said. “I answered the door, and the woman was there. She was all covered in blood, and she said she was shot.”
He called 911 and worried that she might not survive.
The adult daughter told WPTV that her mother survived gunshots to the chest, neck, and arm. The daughter was shot in the arm.
Deputies said the women are expected to make a full recovery.
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