A chaotic and bizarre series of events ended with a Honduran man shooting the finger off his left hand in Haines City this past Sunday during a heated confrontation that escalated into attempted murder. According to the Haines City Police Department, the drama went down just before sunset near Tennessee Street, leaving locals stunned and officers scrambling to piece together the wild scene.
The unraveling of this unusual case began when a homeowner frantically dialed 911, reporting a shooting on their property. Officers arrived to find a 42-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his chest, shoulder, hand, and even a grazing wound to the head. Miraculously, despite the seriousness of his injuries, the man is expected to recover after being rushed to a nearby hospital. But the story didn’t stop there.
Investigators quickly identified 40-year-old Jervin Romero as the prime suspect. Romero, who had reportedly been entangled in a bitter, messy separation from his partner of over 20 years, had allegedly been sending her a series of ominous messages threatening violence. On Sunday, he decided to make good on those threats—or at least, he tried.
When Romero’s ex and her new boyfriend refused to answer the door, he didn’t walk away. Instead, police say he took the long way around, sneaking to the back of the house, removing a screen, and climbing through a window. What followed was nothing short of cinematic chaos.
Once inside, Romero confronted the couple, and an argument erupted between him and the new boyfriend. That’s when Romero pulled out a gun, aiming to resolve his grievances. Shots rang out, striking the new boyfriend five times, but in a bizarre twist, Romero’s own trigger-happy antics backfired—literally. Somehow, he ended up shooting the finger clean off his left hand. Specifically, his ring finger—a grim symbol of the fractured relationship that had fueled his rage.
The injury forced Romero to drop his weapon and flee the scene in a panic, leaving behind not only his firearm but also his vehicle.
Police didn’t have to search far. Officers found Romero hiding among trees less than a mile from the scene, his severed finger presumably left behind as damning evidence. Now in custody, Romero faces a laundry list of charges, including attempted first-degree murder, armed burglary, and making written threats to kill.
Adding to the legal quagmire, Romero is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras who had previously been barred from the property. Police noted that, despite Romero’s threatening messages, no reports had been filed prior to the incident, a troubling detail underscored by Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck.
“This could have ended much worse,” Chief Goreck emphasized. “When threats go unreported, the chances of violence increase. This incident highlights why it’s so important to take action before things escalate.”
The grotesque irony of this case—where a man so consumed by rage ends up shooting the finger off his own hand—serves as both a cautionary tale and a grim reminder of the volatile nature of domestic disputes. While the boyfriend recovers from his injuries and the ex-partner grapples with the fallout, Romero faces the legal and physical consequences of his violent actions.
As authorities continue their investigation, the community is left to wonder: How many tragedies might be averted if warning signs were taken seriously and acted upon?
Like this story? Read some more!