Bradenton, FL: Deputies: Man killed by ex-wife moments after deputy leaves house

BRADENTON, Florida-- On Friday afternoon, it was peaceful on 86th Street Court Northwest, a street in a upscale part of town.

The home with the address 705 has a white picket fence surrounding a backyard pool, but investigators say the couple who stayed there hardly lived the American dream.

Manatee County deputies say Robin Crane shot and killed her ex-husband around 8:30 Thursday night after a domestic dispute.

Investigators say Ernie Crane called 911 earlier in the night to say they were arguing and things might escalate. A deputy responded, but no saw no signs of physical abuse, like bruises or marks, and neither one said it had turned physical or wanted to press charges.

Just moments later, with the deputy still parked outside, detectives tell 10 News Ernie came running outside screaming that he had been shot.

"I could see they were doing CPR and then I saw them stop the CPR, and then they covered him with a body bag," said next-door neighbor Mark Elferig. "It's just beyond belief that this happened in our neighborhood."

What deputies say is hard for them to believe is how quickly things changed, going from leaving the house to having a gunshot victim.

"It's very rare. Matter of fact, I've been working this job for longer than I would like to say and I can't remember something going down like this did," said sheriff's office spokesperson Dave Bristow.

But could it have been prevented?

The sheriff's office says no, telling 10 News the deputy did everything by the book.

They say the Cranes had been living together and, though deputies were called out to another domestic disturbance in April, in this case the deputy didn't know she had a gun inside the house.

"This deputy did everything that he was supposed to do and more," Bristow said.

Elferig says the couple only moved into the neighborhood a few months ago and were renting from a longtime owner. He says he'd see Ernie walk the dog once in awhile, but nothing out of the ordinary.

"I don't know anything about them," he said.

But that's all changed now, as Robin is charged with murder.