Bradenton man shoots kidnapper dead for trying to abduct his wife, detectives say

BRADENTON, Fla. (WFLA) — A Bradenton man fended off a kidnapper who tried to abduct his wife on New Year’s Day, deputies said.

According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Nicholas Palomo, a 36-year-old felon who had previously gone to prison for kidnapping and other crimes, attempted to abduct a woman who was walking her dog in the area of 18th Place East in Bradenton.

The woman managed to escape Palomo by running from his car and made it to her home and warned her husband about what happened.

Detectives said the husband went outside and confronted Palomo who behaved “in a threatening manner” toward the couple. When Palomo began approaching the victim’s husband, the husband shot him a single time in the driveway.

The sheriff’s office said the whole ordeal occurred within a matter of minutes.

Deputies responded to the shooting at 12:27 a.m., and despite efforts to save him, Palomo died at the scene.

After collecting further evidence in the shooting, investigators determined that Palomo did not know the couple, classifying the shooting as a “random incident.”

Detectives also found that Palomo previously caused a disturbance at a Circle K before the shooting. It is believed he may have been under the influence of narcotics.

An autopsy found Palomo died of a single gunshot to the chest, and toxicology testing is being done to determine what drugs were in his system at the time.

As such, the State Attorney’s Office classified the shooting as self-defense, justifying the homeowner’s actions.