Lake Wales man charged with attempted murder after gambling dispute turns violent
LAKE WALES — A Lake Wales man turned himself in after shooting an individual after a gambling dispute, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.
Darius Antwan "Pete" Scarlett, 32, is facing charges of first-degree attempted murder, discharging a firearm in a public area, use of a firearm in a felony offense and tampering with physical evidence.
The Sheriff's Office responded to a call at 9:48 a.m. Saturday reporting a fight involving several individuals on Lilly Street in unincorporated Lake Wales.
Deputies found a man with a single gunshot wound to the right temple lying in the street. The person was responsive and told deputies that "Pete" shot him. The man was transported to Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and listed in critical condition.
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About 11:50 a.m., Scarlett arrived at Polk County Sheriff Office's headquarters off Jim Keen Boulevard in Winter Haven. Scarlett told sheriff's personnel he had shot the man in Lake Wales and had the firearm in his possession, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Scarlett told deputies his cousins had been gambling when a verbal argument broke out over the game. The argument escalated into physical violence when the two cousins began to batter one another, according to the deputy. Scarlett said he attempted to separate the two men when another man struck him for getting involved.
Scarlett said he went back to his vehicle and retrieved his black 9mm Springfield Hellcat handgun, according to the Sheriff's Office. He then followed the individual to a gray Ford Mustang that was stopped on Lilly Street. Scarlett said the man tried to hide behind another person, but he shot the man once the individual moved because he was "in a rage," according to a deputy's report.
Deputies said Scarlett told them the gun in his vehicle was the same firearm he used to shoot the man. A semiautomatic handgun was observed in the right rear passenger seat of the secured car.
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.
CORRECTION
A previous version of this story misspelled the name of the suspect on second reference. It has been corrected with the inaccurate spelling removed.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lake Wales man charged with attempted murder after weekend shooting
