He was arrested at the Orlando International Airport as he returned from Puerto Rico.

TAMPA – A man accused of shooting a Good Samaritan who tried to defend a woman was arrested when he stepped off a plane in Orlando, the Tampa Police Department said.

Edward Nieves was in the Orange County jail late Tuesday (Feb. 12) waiting to be returned to Tampa, where he faces charges of Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.

About 2 a.m. Feb. 2, a man saw a red pickup truck in the parking lot of a convenience store occupied by a man who was reportedly assaulting an unidentified woman, police said.

The man tried to verbally intervene in defense of the woman. The suspect, later identified as Nieves, tried to punch the Good Samaritan but missed. The man punched Nieves in self-defense as the altercation escalated.

Police said Nieves went to his truck, retrieved a gun, approached the man and shot him in the left shoulder. Nieves fled the scene in a red, newer model Ford pickup truck. The Good Samaritan was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Surveillance video showing the altercation was released by Tampa police. As a result, TPD received several tips identifying the shooter as Nieves.

In the investigation that followed, it was learned that Nieves had left the area and had flown to Puerto Rico. It was later learned that he was returning from Puerto Rico.

About 7 p.m. Monday (Feb. 11), Nieves was caught at the Orlando International Airport by authorities in Orange County in connection with the Tampa case. He has not yet been returned to Hillsborough County.

Photo shows Edward Nieves from a May 2018 local arrest for violation of probation. Courtesy of the Tampa Police Department.

Tampa Police | Crime | Arrests | Tampabay News

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