CAPE CORAL, FL — A Cape Coral man died after police say officers shot him Wednesday night during a response to a disturbance at a home in the city’s northeast section. The Cape Coral Police Department said 43-year-old Daniel Eric Colon pointed a gun at officers after they searched for him near NE 15th Place.
Police said the first calls came in around 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 9, when someone reported a man with a gun and a knife forcing his way into a home in the 1400 block of NE 10th Terrace. A resident inside the home also called 911 and said a family member had kicked in the front door.
911 calls described a man armed with a gun and knife
According to Cape Coral police, the emergency calls described an active disturbance at a home before officers arrived. The department said the person outside was reported to be carrying both a gun and a knife while breaking in through the front door.
That detail mattered because officers were already dealing with a potentially armed subject when they began setting up a response. The department has not said whether Colon was the family member mentioned in the resident’s call, but it identified him as the man who was later shot.
The reports placed officers on alert before they reached the area, and police and Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies worked together to establish a perimeter while they searched nearby streets.
Search centered on a dumpster area behind City Mattress
Officers concentrated their search near NE 15th Place and NE 9th Terrace, with attention on a dumpster area behind the City Mattress store at 915 NE 15th Place. Police said Colon was believed to be somewhere in that area after the initial 911 calls.
During the search, officers found him hiding in bushes beside the dumpster, according to the Cape Coral Police Department. The department said he then came out of the bushes holding a black handgun.
Police said Colon pointed the handgun directly at officers and deputies. That moment, investigators said, led two Cape Coral officers to fire their weapons.
Two officers fire after Colon allegedly points handgun at police
The Cape Coral Police Department said the two officers shot Colon after he aimed the handgun at law enforcement. Officers then detained him right away and began emergency medical care at the scene.
Lee County EMS later responded and transported Colon to Gulf Coast Hospital, where he went into surgery. Police said he later died from his injuries.
No officers or deputies were hurt during the encounter. The department said the two officers involved were placed on administrative leave, which it described as standard procedure in a shooting investigation.
Police identified the man as 43-year-old Daniel Eric Colon
Investigators identified the man as 43-year-old Daniel Eric Colon. The department said he was seen leaving the area on foot toward NE 15th Place while holding a gun before officers confronted him.
The spelling of his last name appeared in the police account as Colon, and the department also referred to him as Daniel Eric Colone in one part of its account. The agency has not explained the spelling difference.
Police have not said how long Colon had been inside the home or what led up to the door being kicked in. They have also not said whether any other people were inside the house when the first 911 calls came in.
Administrative leave and the next steps in the investigation
The two officers who fired their weapons are on administrative leave while the shooting is reviewed, according to the police department. Cape Coral police said that step is routine in cases where an officer uses deadly force.
The investigation is centered on the sequence of events that began with the 911 calls, moved to the perimeter search near City Mattress, and ended when Colon allegedly pointed a handgun at officers. Police have not released additional findings about the weapon, the home disturbance, or the medical response beyond what was done at the scene and at the hospital.
For now, the department’s account says the encounter ended with Colon’s death and no injuries to law enforcement. Officials have not announced any charges or said whether the case will be reviewed by another agency.
