A violent, city-wide manhunt in Port Charlotte ended in a shootout on Monday, March 30, 2026, when law enforcement shot and killed a suspect wanted for a homicide committed earlier that afternoon.
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) announced that 32-year-old Matthew Ryan Cross died after a confrontation with deputies near Hillsboro Boulevard.
The incident began around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, when CCSO deputies responded to a shooting on Malone Avenue, where they discovered one victim dead. Cross, identified as the shooter, fled the scene, sparking an intense, hours-long manhunt in the Port Charlotte area that caused multiple schools to go into lockdown and encouraged residents to stay inside.
Around 1:20 p.m., while tracking Cross through a wooded area near Hillsborough and Yorkshire, law enforcement officials received reports of another shot fired. Cross eventually emerged from the woods and, according to Sheriff Bill Prummel, pointed a firearm at himself before turning it toward CCSO deputies and a North Port police officer aiding in the search.
Seven law enforcement officers, two from CCSO and five from North Port Police, returned fire, killing Cross.
“We have kids… you always hear about these things, but nobody wants it in their neighborhood,” said a local resident following the incident.
Sheriff Prummel noted in a press conference that the suspect was “full of holes” after the confrontation, bringing an abrupt end to the incident.
The incident has significantly affected the broader Southwest Florida (SWFL) region, drawing multiple agencies to assist in the search. The investigation into the original homicide and the officer-involved shooting is ongoing, with officials working to determine the full sequence of events on Monday.
