More than half of Lee County 2018 homicide cases unsolved

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Photo from the Bell Tower shooting Oct. 9 via WINK News
Photo from the Bell Tower shooting Oct. 9 via WINK News

Thirty one.

That is how many homicide cases there have been in Lee County this year so far. Only 14 of those cases have been solved.

The last killing happened at the Bell Tower Shops where two men were gunned down in the parking lot.

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While that number is concerning for residents, like Suillun Ortega. The back-to-back double homicides last week hit close to home.

“It’s very concerning because my whole family could have been impacted at that point,” Ortega said.

Ortega says her husband works at Bell Tower, and her mother-in-law works at Lee Memorial Hospital.

Both public areas where four people were killed last week.

“Every week you hear about a shooting or an incident where a gun was involved,” Ortega said.

So far, 17 of those 31 homicides remain unsolved. But, according to a law enforcement expert, it’s part of living in an area with a booming population.

Former FBI agent Bob Forley says that there seems to be an uptick in that type of activity and it’s natural to cause concern.

But, Foley says the homicide numbers aren’t out of the range for the size of Fort Myers.

“We’re very much in line with respect to criminal activity with any city the size of Fort Myers,” Foley said.

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Although law enforcement has not announced any new arrests, Foley says solid investigations require time.

“Working with both LCSO [Lee County Sheriff’s Office] and FMPD [Fort Myers Police Department] when I was active with the FBI, they’re doing their job,” Foley said. “They’re conducting their investigations and working hard.”

Foley says part of the investigation, including the killings from last week, requires the community’s help.

“That’s not uncommon where being a snitch is bad,” Foley said. “The problem is the labeling – in an effort to making a community safe.”

If you have a tip to share, and you’d like to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS.

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