Man accused of shooting, killing mother in North Fort Myers

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. —

A man is accused of killing his mother in a shooting at a home on Delft Avenue in North Fort Myers last week.

Joseph Delnegro, 49, was arrested on Jan. 22 after deputies responded to reports of a shooting, the Lee County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies and Emergency Medical Services arrived on the scene and found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound in the armpit area. Lifesaving measures were initiated, but the victim died from her injuries, LCSO said.

Deputies located Delnegro in the driveway. He told them that he had shot his mother accidentally, and that due to him being a convicted felon out of Colorado, he was not supposed to have a gun, LCSO said.

Delnegro was transported to LCSO headquarters for questioning.

Deputies investigated the scene at the home and found a bullet hole in Delnegro's bedroom wall, which leads out to the kitchen area, where the victim was found, LCSO said.

A handgun was found in Delnegro's bedroom in the drawer of a dresser. There was no magazine in the gun, and a single shell casing was found in the hamper next to the dresser, LCSO said.

Deputies questioned Delnegro, who told them that he found the gun about a month prior in the bathroom of a bar on Pine Island, and instead of informing the staff or trying to find the owner, he kept it, LCSO said.

Delnegro told deputies that on the night of Jan. 21, he was putting laundry away in his bedroom. As he was doing this, he took the gun out of the drawer and placed it on his dresser. After he finished putting clothes away, he went to put the gun back in the dresser, when it went off, LCSO said.

Delnegro said he heard his mother scream, and that he ran out of his bedroom to find her suffering from a gunshot wound. Someone else in the home called 911 while Delnegro took his son, who was also in the kitchen, outside, LCSO said.

Delnegro faces charges of third-degree felony murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and grand theft of a firearm.

Previous coverage:

Convicted felon accused of using stolen gun to shoot, kill woman in North Fort Myers

Investigation underway along Delft Avenue in North Fort Myers

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