Rocco Nicholas Ruzzo, of Riverview, Florida, was adjudicated guilty today and sentenced to 40 years in prison for a shooting in Lee County.
He was sentenced as follows:
Count I: Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon – Sentenced to 20 years in prison with a 20-year minimum/mandatory
Count II: Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon – Sentenced to 20 years in prison with a 20-year minimum/mandatory to run consecutive to Count I
Count III: Shoot At/Into Occupied Vehicle – Sentenced to 5 years in prison to run concurrent with Counts I and II
Assistant State Attorney Melanie Sanders prosecuted the case. The defendant was convicted following a trial in May.
The crime happened on November 28, 2024, Thanksgiving Day. The defendant was outside of a residence in Lehigh Acres, when he pulled out a gun and shot at a vehicle ten times.
He claimed he thought it was associated with another vehicle that he had previous encounters with that day. The driver of the vehicle was hit by bullets multiple times but survived the shooting. The passenger of the vehicle was also grazed by a bullet but survived.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Samantha Syoen – State Attorney’s Office Communications Director