Crime & Safety
Bradenton Man Charged in Woman’s Shooting Death
Breaking: A Bradenton man, recently released from state prison, has been charged in the Sept. 11 shooting death of a woman.
BRADENTON, FL — A 29-year-old Bradenton man faces murder charges in connection with the Sept. 11 death of Earnestine Gardner.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Alfonzo Lee Churchwell was charged in the shooting death Thursday morning. Churchwell now faces second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon charges.
A witness told deputies that Churchwell and Gardener had argued over a drug transaction prior to the shooting, an email from the agency said. Churchwell was released from the state prison system in April 2016 following a 2007 conviction in a 2006 attempted second-degree murder case, according to state records. He was sentenced to serve 10 years.
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Gardner was found on the ground outside a home in the 5800 block of 11th Street East around 6:41 a.m. Sept. 11. She was taken to Blake Hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds, but later died from her injuries.
Booking photo courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office
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