Man with gunshot wound taken from ocean near Disney's Vero Beach Resort
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A man lying motionless on a surfboard pulled from the ocean by lifeguards near Disney's Vero Beach Resort was later found to have a gunshot wound to the head, fire rescue and Sheriff’s Office officials said.
Emergency dispatchers were called around 10 a.m. Thursday by lifeguards about an unresponsive man brought to shore, said Indian River County sheriff’s Lt. Joe Abollo.
“Someone saw that he was on the board not moving,” said Abollo.
A person described as a kayaker helped pull the man to shore on the surfboard, Abollo said.
It wasn’t until the man was evaluated at a hospital that it was found he had a gunshot wound, leading to the involvement of deputies and detectives, Abollo said.
At roughly 10:45 a.m., he said they went to Wabasso Beach Park, 1820 Wabasso Beach Road, to begin the investigation and left there around 3:30 p.m.
The county beach park sits just north of the resort off State Road A1A and is only a few yards walk from its shoreline sitting area.
The man was described as in his 60s and was first seen by resort lifeguards before Indian River County Fire Rescue crews arrived and took him to HCA Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, said Assistant Battalion Chief David Kiernan.
“(He) maybe had a small gunshot wound to his mouth,” said Kiernan.
When fire officials gathered details of the incident, he said no one questioned had reported seeing the man go into the water, hearing a gunshot or finding a weapon.
Abollo said detectives don’t know exactly where the man was when the gun fired.
He said detectives believe the gunshot wound was self-inflicted, but a final determination would come from the investigation.
He also said there were, so far, no witnesses of the shooting.
As of roughly 5 p.m. Thursday, the man was in critical condition at the hosital, Abollo said.
He did not release the man's age or name, but said he is a local man and not someone staying at the resort.
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He said a weapon has not been found and it is an ongoing investigation.
Wabasso Beach Park is manned by county lifeguards from 9:10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m., according to county information about the park.
Lifeguard officials could not be reached for comment.
Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Man with gunshot wound found in ocean near Disney Vero Beach Resort
