PALMETTO, Fla. — The man accused of shooting a pregnant mother of twins will face a judge Friday for a pretrial detention review.
On Sunday, deputies said Vincent Steele of Riverview fired seven rounds at a pickup truck, injuring the 36-year-old pregnant mother on the passenger side. Inside the truck was the mother's fiancé and her 9-year-old daughter, who ducked on the floorboard for cover, according to the arrest report.
"It's irresponsible. It's incredibly selfish because he did not care about the people inside that truck," said Randy Warren, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office public information officer.
The arrest report states the mother, who is 23 weeks pregnant, was shot at least three times. Deputies said she suffered gunshot injuries in the lower torso.
It adds that Steele tried to merge lanes while heading north on Business U.S. 41 near where it merges with U.S. 41, but did not allow enough space, hitting the truck the mother was in.
Steele's sedan then spun out into a grassy area before he and family members inside the truck pulled over, according to the report. The mother told investigators she tried to regain her composure and check on her daughter in the backseat when she noticed Steele approaching the truck with a gun.
The mother shouted, "Get down, he's got a gun," when she advised she was shot, the report further states. Her fiancé then drove off and rushed her to Manatee Memorial Hospital.
Deputies said she was later transported to Tampa General Hospital for surgery.
Steele was in an irate state and told investigators he pulled on the door handle of the truck several times while attempting to ask the driver why he hit him, according to the report.
He also told investigators he observed the driver reach down and saw what he believed to be the handle of a pistol come up, so he retreated and eventually shot at the truck, the report stated.
Warren said witnesses tell the same story of Steele approaching the truck, trying to make entry, and then stepping back to shoot multiple rounds at the truck. Detectives have found no evidence to support a case of Stand Your Ground, Warren added.
At the time the arrest report was written, the heartbeats of the unborn twins appeared to be normal. Warren said at the last check, the mother is still recovering in the hospital and is stable.
"You really don't know what the long-term prognosis there is. This was totally avoidable," Warren said.
Steele faces five counts of attempted murder for each of the family members inside the truck, including the mother's unborn twins.