Seffner homeowner shot after interrupting attempted robbery

SEFFNER — A 35-year-old man was shot and injured outside his home early Tuesday morning.

Hillsborough County sheriff's spokesman Larry McKinnon said Gilben Longino Comacho heard his dogs barking in the yard about 4 a.m. When he went outside his house at 1602 N Taylor Road to investigate, at least two people were waiting in the shadows. They ordered him to the ground and began rolling Comacho's all-terrain vehicle into their own vehicle parked nearby.

As the robbers were leaving, McKinnon said, they shot Comacho at least once. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was in serious condition but is expected to survive.

McKinnon said the incident didn't appear to be random, although investigators weren't sure of a motive or whether Comacho knew the person who shot him. The neighborhood of closely spaced ranch-style homes doesn't see much crime, he said.

Comacho kept items in the yard that he was selling online, including the ATV, which investigators think he had advertised on Craigslist. McKinnon said it was possible someone who'd visited to look at the ATV came back Tuesday morning to steal it.

Investigators had some leads, but didn't disclose any information about them Tuesday morning.

Anyone with any information about the suspects is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200. A cash reward is available. Call 1-800-873-8477, report anonymously at www.crimestopperstb.com or text "CSTB" plus your tip to 274637.