A bullet struck Mendez, who died a short time later at a nearby hospital, police said in a statement.

Garibaldi, 24, has been charged with manslaughter with a weapon, according to booking records. He also faces a felony charge of “felon in possession of a firearm.”

Officers responded to the scene about 10 p.m. Saturday and found Mendez lying on the ground outside the residence with a bullet wound to his upper body.

Police said that Garibaldi first told investigators that he heard a gunshot and found his cousin, who had been shot. Inside, however, officers found a flak jacket, which was bloody and marred by a bullet hole, according to the statement from police.

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A witness told police the men were wondering whether the vest worked. However, Tampa police spokesman Steve Hegarty said he could not say whether the victim agreed to be shot.

A flak jacket is a protective vest worn by police officers or members of the military to help protect them from shrapnel.

“Whether it was a bulletproof vest, whether it was a bullet-resistant vest or whether it was a flak jacket, he shot at it and it didn’t work,” Hegarty said of the incident.

In 2013, the National Institute of Justice noted that “ballistic-resistant soft body armor has saved the lives of over 3,000 police officers over the last three decades, and it continues to be critical safety equipment needed by law enforcement and corrections officers for personal protection.”

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But, the NIJ said, research has been done to determine when gear needs to be replaced.

Police did not say how old the vest was that Mendez put on.

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But according to the NIJ, the institute and other agencies “have funded research to develop materials, performance standards, and compliance testing methods to help ensure that body armor meets certain minimum performance requirements to protect the officers who wear it. The replacement cycle of a body armor system such as a ballistic-resistant vest is generally from three to five years.

“This is typically defined by the warranties that manufacturers or suppliers provide with the products. The ballistic performance of an individual vest may vary because of differences in normal daily wear and tear, other environmental factors, and the intrinsic chemical or physical properties of the ballistic materials from which the vest is constructed.”

It was unclear Monday whether Garibaldi had an attorney. He is being held without bond.

This story has been updated.