A woman pregnant with twins was shot in a traffic accident in Palmetto

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives made an arrest Vincent Steele50, of Riverview, Florida, for firing multiple shots at a pickup truck during a traffic accident in Palmetto on Sunday, injuring a passenger, a 36-year-old pregnant woman with twins.

The incident occurred on Sunday, May 5, 2024, at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Business US 41 North in Palmetto. A BMW sedan driven by Steele attempted to pass a pickup truck in the inbound lane, resulting in a collision between their vehicles. This caused Steele to lose control and veer off the road. The driver of the pickup stopped to check on Steele. According to a witness, Steele then got out of his vehicle, ran to the victim’s passenger door and fired seven shots at it, injuring the 36-year-old woman.

The injured woman was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital and later transported to Tampa General Hospital for surgery. Both she and her unborn twins are stable. Neither the 57-year-old driver of the truck nor the 9-year-old passenger were injured.

Steele remained at the scene and cooperated with officers before his arrest. The investigation is ongoing.

Steele is charged with five counts of attempted murder.