Crime & Safety
Report: Lost Purse Dispute Precedes Fatal Boomerang Martini Bar Shooting
Louis Kuilan-Maysonet is dead after a post-midnight shooting at the Boomerang Martini Bar in Brandon, where an argument over his girlfriend's lost purse ensued moments earlier, according to a report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
The fatal shooting at the Boomerang Martini Bar in Brandon on Dec. 22 was preceded by an argument inside the nightspot, next door to the long-closed Borders bookstore, over a woman's lost purse, according to a report from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
The purse reportedly belonged to the the girflriend of Louis Kuilan-Maysonet, 28, who started arguing with Christopher Gonzalez-Cartagena, 29, in a fight that spilled over into the parking lot and would later claim Kuilan-Maysonet's life.
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The report notes that the argument started at 3 a.m., as the bar was closing.
Still, "it is unclear if the two men were feuding over the missing purse," the report noted. "At that point, Kuilan-Maysonet lifted his shirt and flashed a handgun in his waistband while Gonzalez-Cartagena attempted to walk to his car."
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Kuilan-Maysonet reportedly shot Gonzalez-Cartagena as he started walking to his car, which caused him to suffer "several gunshot wounds, including a graze to the head."
Meanwhile, Andre Jennings, 25, a security guard at Boomerang's, was directing traffic. He reportedly witnessed the shooting and ordered Kuilan-Maysonet to stop shooting when the 28-year-old instead "spun towards Jennings with the gun in his hands."
Jennings returned fire from his own gun several times, striking Kuilan-Maysonet, who later died from his injuries at Brandon Regional Hospital, according to the sheriff's report.
Caught in the scuffle was bar patron Alejandro Salavarrieta, 22, who reportedly had nothing to do with the confrontation; he was shot in the leg. "At this stage in the investigation, it is unclear who shot him," the report notes.
Jennings and Salavarrieta reportedly were transported to Tampa General Hospital for treatment.
Jennings, the security guard, was "fully licensed, with a valid concealed weapons permit," according to the sheriff's report.
The investigation is ongoing and the case has been sent to the state attorney's office, to determine if charges should be filed.
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