Man Shot During Robbery in Pembroke Pines

A man who was cleaning up the mess left in the aftermath of Isaac outside his Pembroke Pines home was shot during a robbery Tuesday, police said.

The shooting happened at about 11:30 a.m. in the 6900 block of Southwest 14th Street, Pembroke Pines Police officials said.

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Police say the 60-year-old man was cleaning up an avocado tree that had been blown over by the storm when he was approached by two suspects, who tried to steal his gold chain.

Neighbors said Nick Dragone, who was using a weed-eater to clean up the debris, was trying to defend himself when one of the suspects shot him.

"Well I gave it to him as a gift. It was a gift, a birthday gift, so he wasn’t going to give it up … but it could have cost him his life, you know?” Kelly Dragone said of the gold chain.

One neighbor said they heard three gunshots.

"Nick told me when I went over to him that they were trying to take the chain off of him, and whatever he was cutting the branches with, he tried to swing it at them, to get them to go away, or whatever was going on," Selna Gonzalez said.

Dragone, who was shot in the abdomen, was able to call 911. He was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital with non-life-threatening wounds, police said.

He is a Vietnam veteran, according to Kelly Dragone.

"And he said to me, ‘I was not shot in Vietnam, and yet I’m shot three times now,’” she said.

Police said the suspects fled the scene in a red car. They are described as black males in their teens to early 20s. One was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and the other was wearing a light-colored shirt, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.

Ed Gunther said there have been a rash of burglaries and break-ins in the neighborhood lately.

"We had a stabbing about two weeks ago so it has been a little rough around here for some reason," he said.

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