Charlotte County woman shot in face by someone she knew, suspect arrested

Charlotte County deputies say a woman was shot in the face by someone she knew, and she is expected to survive her injuries.

Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office arrested suspect George E. Hackett, a convicted felon, Friday for shooting a woman at a home in Port Charlotte.

According to CCSO, the shooting happened around 3:30 a.m. at a home along Aurora Street. Detectives spent the morning searching inside the home and interviewing neighbors and possible witnesses at another property off Conway Boulevard. Hackett was later identified and arrested.

“Doesn’t make you feel too good,” neighbor Steve Satkunas said. “It’s a little unsettling.”

After the woman was shot, deputies say she got in her car and drove to a friend’s house who called 911.

“That had to of been pure adrenaline,” neighbor Sarah Shore said. “There’s no way that I would’ve been able to drive after being shot in the face.”

The woman is expected to survive. She says she believes the shooting was an accident and told deputies she knows the suspect.

“She is going to be traumatized for a long time,” Satkunas said.

The investigation leaves neighbors with unsettling feelings.

“It scares me, the things happening in this world right now,” Shore said.

Hackett faces charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, false identification to law enforcement and violation of probation. They also say aggravated battery charges may follow.

“You wouldn’t want a shooter running around on the loose,” Satkunas said.

Hackett is in custody at Charlotte County Jail.