Key Largo man charged with trying to kill police, beating wife bloody with a shotgun

Key Largo man charged with trying to kill police, beating wife bloody with a shotgun | Crime | KeysNet

A 57-year-old Key Largo man is in jail today charged with four counts of attempted murder and other charges following a domestic dispute and police chase -- which included gunshots fired -- just before midnight Tuesday.

It stems from Robert Schminky, 57, beating his wife Honour bloody with the stock of a shotgun before he fled.

"The stock of the shotgun was broken during the beating," says Becky Herrin, spokeswoman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. "She sustained severe injuries including a broken arm, a broken wrist, broken ribs, a head injury and other internal injuries. She later told detectives she believes he would have killed her if deputies had not arrived when they did."

In addition to being charged with attempting to kill his wife, Schminky is charged with three counts of attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated battery on a police officer, aggravated assault on a police officer, discharging a firearm in public and fleeing and eluding police.

Deputies Angelina Lubin and Diosvel Fumero responded to 52 Buttonwood Drive around mile marker 100.5 after getting a call about a domestic dispute involving a gun. When they arrived, they heard Honour Schminky calling for help and found Robert Schminky in the front yard holding the shotgun.

They ordered him to drop it; he instead fired twice into the ground, then got into a white 2004 Lexus sport utility vehicle and drove away, heading north on U.S. 1 to State Road 905, which leads to Card Sound Road. Sgt. Sydney Whitehouse and other deputies pursued.

At some point, Schminky did a U-turn at Valois Boulevard and headed back south. So Whitehouse turned around, too, and continued the pursuit back to U.S. 1. Schminky pulled into the Circle K parking at mile marker 106 where U.S. 1 and 905 split.

Florida Highway Patrol Trooper C. Gracey was in her cruiser in the parking lot and Schminky rammed it with his Lexus, then fired "several gunshots" into her car, Herrin said, striking the windshield and emergency lights.

Whitehouse, also back at the Circle Key, got out of his car "to take a tactical position to engage the suspect," Herrin said. "He heard a gunshot and felt pain in his upper right leg. A bullet from the suspect had grazed his leg." Gracey sustained a minor arm injury from the collision.

Herrin said Schminky then left southbound. Deputy Nestor Argote followed him and he pulled into Saint Justin Martyr Catholic Church about a mile away.

Schminky "fired several shots" at Argote, Herrin said, then took off running. Argot and Detective Barney Sajdak caught him.

Investigation revealed a Smith and Wesson .44-caliber magnum revolver with six fired shell casings in Schminky's SUV. Six .40-caliber shell casings were also found in the car, as was the gun he had when he took off running, a 40-caliber Springfield semi-automatic handgun.

The Schminkys have been married for 16 years. Their argument started after Robert returned home from the Miami Veterans Administration Hospital and his wife asked about test results. Honour Schminky's brother apparently is the one who called police after she called him from the house to him what was going on.