Police said a Florida man who asked if a bulletproof vest “still worked” was fatally shot by his cousin.
A Tampa police report said 23-year-old Joaquin Mendez put on the vest late on Saturday and “wondered aloud whether it still worked”.
The report said Mendez’s cousin, 24-year-old Alexandro Garibaldi, pulled out a gun and responded: “Let’s see.”
Officers found Mendez outside the house with a gunshot wound in his chest. He died at a hospital.
According to the police report, Garibaldi initially told officers he found his wounded cousin after hearing a gunshot. However, police said a witness described Garibaldi shooting Mendez.
Police said the bulletproof vest was found inside the house, having sustained a gunshot.
Garibaldi was held on Sunday without bond on a manslaughter charge. Hillsborough County jail records did not show whether he had an attorney.
