A man was found dead in the doorway of an east Orange County home with an apparent gunshot wound and the homeowner was found nearby with a significant head injury, deputies said. The shooting was reported just before 9 p.m. Thursday at a home on Vonderay Road near State Road 417 in Bithlo. After finding a 53-year-old man who died in the doorway, deputies found the homeowner, with significant injuries to his head. Authorities said the homeowner shot the man during a fight. The homeowner's brother told WESH 2 News he had been trying to help the man who was killed by driving him to the Department of Motor Vehicles. The brother said, for unknown reasons, the man attacked the homeowner with an object and hit him over the head. The homeowner thought he was firing a warning shot to defend himself but accidentally killed the man, according to the homeowner's brother.Hector Rivera, a neighbor, said the homeowner is known for giving people a hand. "That's really unfortunate because he's always helping other people out. he's always in the cul de sac workign on cars and stuff like that," Rivera said.The Orange County Sheriff's Office has not said whether they are looking at the case as a self defense shooting or not. The investigation is still in its early stages and no one has been arrested.The names of the people involved have not been released.

A man was found dead in the doorway of an east Orange County home with an apparent gunshot wound and the homeowner was found nearby with a significant head injury, deputies said.

The shooting was reported just before 9 p.m. Thursday at a home on Vonderay Road near State Road 417 in Bithlo.


After finding a 53-year-old man who died in the doorway, deputies found the homeowner, with significant injuries to his head.

Authorities said the homeowner shot the man during a fight. The homeowner's brother told WESH 2 News he had been trying to help the man who was killed by driving him to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The brother said, for unknown reasons, the man attacked the homeowner with an object and hit him over the head. The homeowner thought he was firing a warning shot to defend himself but accidentally killed the man, according to the homeowner's brother.

Hector Rivera, a neighbor, said the homeowner is known for giving people a hand.

"That's really unfortunate because he's always helping other people out. he's always in the cul de sac workign on cars and stuff like that," Rivera said.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office has not said whether they are looking at the case as a self defense shooting or not. The investigation is still in its early stages and no one has been arrested.

The names of the people involved have not been released.