BRADENTON, Fla. — Residents and staff at a Bradenton nursing home were jolted awake early Friday morning when a man rammed his car into the front of the building.
That man, according to Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells, shot at employees and tried to shoot his way into the building before being confronted by deputies.
After exchanging gunfire with the sheriff's office, he is in custody and one deputy is recovering at the hospital, Wells said in a press conference.
The man's violent actions and attempts to "kill one of my deputies" made Wells "redneck mad," he said.
It all started just before 3:30 a.m. when dispatchers got a 911 call from an employee at the Aspire nursing home facility on Cortez Road West. The employee reportedly said a car had crashed into the front of the building and the driver got out and loaded a handgun.
Another employee reportedly approached the man, who Wells identified as 40-year-old Sean Calcutti, and tried to talk to him. Calcutti responded by shooting at the employee, Wells said.
"By the grace of God," the employee wasn't hit and was able to retreat into the nursing home, lock the doors and get to a safe place, the sheriff said.
But for whatever reason, Calcutti was determined to get inside and was shooting at the windows while deputies were en route, Wells said. He reportedly hid as he heard law enforcement coming.
Both Manatee County deputies and officers with Bradenton Police responded to the 911 call and began to search for Calcutti, Wells said. They quickly found him on the east side of the building. Deputies reportedly told him to show his hands and get on the ground.
Instead, "this ‘dirtbag’ decides it’s better for him to just start firing at my deputies,” Wells said.
Wells said deputies returned fire before one of them was hit in the arm. While another deputy sprang into action to provide medical aid, Calcutti took off.
Reinforcements arrived to help search for Calcutti, Wells said, including a K-9 unit from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Around 5:45 a.m., deputies found Calcutti and took him into custody. Wells said he was taken to the hospital for evaluation, but stressed Calcutti was not shot or injured.
Wells credits the quick actions of his deputy, who was off-duty and on the way home when he responded, to aid his colleague when he was shot. He even took it upon himself to drive the injured deputy to the hospital.
Both deputies will be on administrative leave per policy as the investigation is underway.
Calcutti faces numerous charges, including attempted murder, attempted murder of law enforcement and armed burglary, Wells said.
Investigators say there's no apparent connection between the nursing home and Calcutti, and his motivation for the attack isn't known.
The sheriff added Calcutti has an "extensive" criminal history in both New York and Florida.
"He should not, in my opinion, even be walking the streets of Manatee County," Wells added.