Man Killed Trying on Flak Jacket in Tampa

TAMPA, FL — A 24-year-old Tampa man faces a number of charges after police say he shot and killed his cousin. The victim was trying on a flak jacket Saturday night and allegedly wondered aloud whether it was bulletproof.

According to Tampa Police, officers responded to a home in the 2400 block of Gordon Street just after 10 p.m. Sept. 10 in reference to a shooting. When they arrived, they found Joaquin Mendez, 23, outside the home with a gunshot wound to the chest. Inside the home, officers found a flak jacket and blood, an email to media said.

Tampa Police had initially assumed the jacket was a bulletproof vest, but issued a clarification on Monday. "Flak jacket" and "bulletproof vest" are sometimes used interchangeably, but flak jackets are largely designed to resist impacts from shrapnel, not direct fire.

Alexandro Garibaldi told police he heard a gunshot Saturday night and found Mendez outside the home with the gunshot wound, the email said. A witness, however, told police a different story.

The witness told police Mendez sat in a chair, put on the vest and “wondered aloud whether it still worked,” the email said. Garibaldi, the witness told police, took out a handgun, said “let’s see,” and fired a shot at the vest, the email said.

When police found the vest, it had an entrance hole in it, the email noted.

Mendez was taken to a local hospital, but died from his injuries. Police say Mendez and Garibaldi were cousins.

Garibaldi has been charged with manslaughter and felon in possession of a firearm. He was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail. He remained there without bond on Sunday afternoon. Garibaldi was also arrested in 2015 on drug-related charges, according to jail records.

This post was updated Monday to note the police description of a "flak jacket." Greg Hambrick contributed to this report. Booking photo courtesy of the Tampa Police Department