Man accused of killing friend in Fort Myers Beach shooting returns to court

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

The man accused of shooting and killing his friend on Fort Myers Beach was back in court Wednesday afternoon.

The judge is giving Carlos Gonzalez a chance to bond out of jail for $500,000.

In court, Gulf Coast News learned that the suspect and victim have known each other since college. Investigators haven't released the victim's name.

The state first called the lead detective on the case to the stand and went over the probable cause affidavit.

Lee County deputies said he admitted to killing his friend Sunday while drunk, and he waited 10 minutes to call 911 Sunday in a Madison Court home on Fort Myers Beach.

Deputies said they found a shell casing behind a wall, 24 feet away from the victim's body. They also found empty wine bottles in the home and a gun on the kitchen counter.

His defense attorney argued the shooting was an accident. Gonzalez's son and business partner showed up in court and took the stand to support him.

During his bond, Gonzalez must wear a GPS monitor, surrender his passport, can't leave the state of Florida, is not allowed to have a gun and cannot have any contact with the victim's family.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.