1 arrested in shooting, Matanzas Pass Bridge closure

Published: Updated:
Morgan Brett Reilly

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. A 19-year-old man was arrested Sunday in connection to a shooting and the closure of the Matanzas Pass Bridge, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

Morgan Brett Reilly, of 326 S. Gilbert Ave. in Lehigh Acres, was taken into custody near the bridge. Deputies had been searching for him since identifying him as a suspect in a shooting that took place early Sunday morning near the Pinnacle Apartments near Pine Manor, according to the sheriff’s office.

The bridge was closed for several hours but reopened just after 9 a.m., deputies said.

A badly bruised Reilly was booked into Lee County Jail, where he faces four charges, including a homicide-related count for committing an act that could cause death, according to sheriff’s office records.

It’s unclear if anyone died in the shooting.

Reilly is also facing charges of armed robbery, firing a gun into a building and fleeing law enforcement. No bond has been set.

Rude awakening

Bullet holes could be seen Sunday on the outside of a building at Pinnacle Apartments.

Some Pinnacle Apartments residents recall seeing Reilly frequently and said he may have been visiting a girlfriend or ex-girlfriend when the shooting took place.

Pinnacle Apartments resident Ryan Beck said he woke up to the sound of gunfire and people screaming.

“I heard about three [shots], Beck said. “I know my roommate heard about six or seven.”

Though multiple violent incidents have taken place nearby in Pine Manor since Beck moved in, he’s never experienced anything akin to this.

“I’ve been living here since, for about seven months now, and I haven’t really heard anything like that,” he said.

Traffic snarled 

The bridge closure frustrated many would-be beachgoers, and the pain was magnified for those who had to get to work.

Angela Mascari, who works at The Salty Crab Bar & Grill on 1154 Estero Boulevard, was caught in the backup and had to turn around and drive through Bonita Springs, the only alternate route onto Estero Island.

“It was really, really backed up,” Mascari said. “We saw a lot of ambulances and fire trucks and police going by.”

She wasn’t the only Salty Crab employee affected, and they had a hard time finding enough staffers to open the doors on time, she said.

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