Details released after 2 injured in Port Charlotte shootout in broad daylight along US-41
A dispute over a parked car escalated into a violent confrontation Wednesday morning in Charlotte County, resulting in two shootouts and serious injuries to both men involved.
According to the arrest report from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, on Sept. 18, the incident began when James Harrison, who manages a property on Chancellor Blvd., was informed by a worker at O'Reilly's Auto Parts that a car with an out-of-state tag had been parked in the lot for several days.
Harrison approached the unoccupied car and, placed a "No Parking" decal on the car, and began to fill out paperwork.
The car's owner, Anthony Gooden, 56, approached from the nearby Wawa, and Harrison told him that he could not leave the vehicle parked there any longer.
The situation turned violent when Gooden allegedly reached into a pocket, pulled out a knife and stabbed Harrison in the abdomen following the confrontation.
The report states Gooden got in his vehile and drove closer to Wawa when Harrison filred into the windshield.
Harrison reached into the back to grab his own gun when Gooden walked around to the back of the vehicle and shot again into the back window.
Harrison returned fire, and a shootout ensued.
Harrison was shot in the back during the first shootout near Wawa.
After the initial gunfire, a witness said a second shootout happened between the two men.
Gooden left the scene by crossing the street into a wooded area. The witness called 911.
The parking lot and scene of the incident lie on the Charlotte-Sarasota County line, prompting multiple agencies to respond.
Deputies later found Gooden in the wooded area and took him in a patrol car out of the wooded area to an ambulance where he could be treated for gunshot wounds.
Gooden was shot multiple times, with injuries to the top of his head, neck, shoulder, and chest, the report states.
The witness saw blood all over Harrison's shirt and told him he needed to stop and get help. Harris had a knife wound to the abdomen and jaw, as well as a gunshot wound to his back.
Both men were taken to a hospital in Sarasota as trauma alerts for treatment.
Harrison faces two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, shooting into a vehicle, grand theft of a firearm, and discharging a firearm in public.
