Investigators say the shootings happened in Tampa and Bradenton on Wednesday and appear to be connected.
BRADENTON, FL — A Citrus County woman is accused of killing two former husbands in separate shootings on Wednesday, first in Tampa and later at a Bradenton home, according to authorities. Deputies arrested Susan Avalon, 51, at her Citrus County residence that evening after tracking a minivan seen fleeing one scene.
Officials in Manatee and Hillsborough counties say the cases are linked and under joint review. The Bradenton victim, 54, was shot after answering his front door in a subdivision off the 7000 block of Chatum Light Run just before 3 p.m., investigators said. Tampa police, prompted by new information during the Manatee inquiry, later found another man dead from gunshot wounds at a house on East Frierson Avenue. Detectives say both men were previously married to Avalon. Manatee County has filed an initial homicide charge; additional counts from Hillsborough are possible as authorities coordinate evidence and confer with prosecutors.
In Bradenton, deputies said the wounded man identified his suspected attacker before he died at a hospital, telling first responders it might have been his ex-wife. A 15-year-old daughter was inside the home and reported hearing three shots, then seeing a silver Honda Odyssey speeding away. Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells said video shows a woman taking a prepared food order from a Panera Bread about a mile and a half from the neighborhood and arriving at the victim’s door with the bag. “It doesn’t get any more brazen than this,” Wells said, calling the shooting a targeted attack in an active, midafternoon setting as children returned from school.
Investigators said automated license plate readers recorded a silver Odyssey traveling from Citrus County through Hillsborough and across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge into Manatee County, then back north after the shootings. Detectives who went to Avalon’s home said they saw her carrying bleach and rags and wiping the vehicle. When told they needed to talk about her ex-husband, she replied, “Which one?” according to the sheriff. A live-in boyfriend told investigators she had recently located one ex-husband’s address and, the day before the shootings, told him she loved him “in case something happens to her.” Authorities said the suspected firearm has not been recovered. Records reviewed by investigators indicate long-running custody disputes and about $4,000 in unpaid child support connected to the Bradenton victim. The number of children affected from the two marriages is about five, deputies said.
Tampa officers conducting a welfare check Wednesday night at a home on the 1200 block of E. Frierson Avenue found a man dead from multiple gunshot wounds and signs of forced entry on a rear door, police said. The agency said the victim and suspected shooter were known to one another; officials did not release the man’s name under state privacy protections. In Bradenton, deputies originally responded around 2:55 p.m. to reports of a shooting on Chatum Light Run and found the 54-year-old with two gunshot wounds, including one to the abdomen. He later died at a local hospital. Neighbors described him as a familiar presence who walked the block with his dogs most mornings. “He was such a nice man,” said Ronald Andriano, who lives nearby.
Authorities stressed they are still piecing together the sequence of events. Based on the current timeline, investigators believe the Tampa killing occurred earlier in the day, followed by the Bradenton shooting shortly before 3 p.m. Detectives said surveillance and traffic data will help refine the chronology, including the Panera stop used as a ruse to prompt the Bradenton victim to open his door. Officials said they are also reviewing prior police and court records involving Avalon and both men, including earlier child abuse allegations filed years ago in other jurisdictions that were later dropped amid custody battles. None of the agencies have detailed a specific motive, and investigators cautioned that several unanswered questions remain, including where the weapon is and whether anyone helped plan or conceal the attacks.
Manatee County initially booked Avalon on second-degree homicide; Wells said prosecutors intend to seek an upgrade to first-degree murder and pursue the death penalty in that case after evidence is presented to the State Attorney’s Office. Tampa police said their homicide case remains open and additional charges are expected in Hillsborough County once detectives complete interviews, lab submissions and an autopsy review. A news briefing at the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Operations Center in Bradenton is scheduled to provide further details. Officials said they are coordinating with Hillsborough authorities on ballistics, phone records and license plate reader data to determine the order of travel and the timing of both shootings.
Outside the Bradenton home Thursday, crime scene tape lined the sidewalk as parents shepherded kids past bus stops and deputies canvassed with doorbell-camera requests. Several neighbors said they were startled by how quickly the block filled with patrol cars Wednesday afternoon. “There were sirens from every direction,” said Teresa Maldonado, who lives two streets over. A Panera Bread location in the same corridor removed a pickup order from its shelves after reviewing footage, employees said, and turned video over to detectives. In Citrus County, investigators collected items from the Odyssey and the home’s trash bins as a forensics team photographed the driveway.
The suspect remained in custody Thursday as investigators processed the minivan and awaited lab results. Authorities said the next major update will come after the State Attorney reviews the Manatee case for formal charges and Tampa police release the medical examiner’s findings. Officials did not provide a timeline for those steps.
Author note: Last updated December 18, 2025.