The Florida deputy who shot his ex-girlfriend several times as she walked her dog then turned the gun on himself Thursday morning was wearing his department-issued uniform at the time of his botched murder-suicide attempt.
Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy Michael DeMarco was sitting in his squad car inside of a gated community prior to opening fire on Yuly Solano.
The two had dated less for four months before she broke up with him last month, which led to him filing a lawsuit against her over $2,400, the value of a mirror and mattress she apparently did not return to him, according to the [**Palm Beach Post.**](http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/crime–law/pbso-deputy-uniform-when-shot-wounded-woman-then-killed-self/iIErYU2ZWXmzWGMiRMvBiK/)
It is not clear if DeMarco, a 22-year veteran of the department, was on duty at the time. But he did live in the same complex as her, which is how they met.
“We can confirm that DeMarco was dressed in a Palm Beach sheriff’s uniform consisting of khaki pants and a black embroidered shirt at the time of the shooting. We can also confirm that he had been sitting in a vehicle registered to PBSO just prior to the shooting,” Stephanie Slater Boynton Beach police told local media.
Solano, 41, was born in Peru and is a single mother of an 18-year-old daughter, according to [**CBS 12.**](http://cbs12.com/news/local/single-mom-fighting-for-her-life-after-being-shot-by-pbso-deputy)
Her dog, Coco, survived the shooting.
Solano was walking the dog near the back of the gated community around 8 a.m. as she did every morning when DeMarco shot her several times in the back, then shot himself.
Transcripts of 911 call made at 8:07 a.m. just after the shooting reveal a witness saying they had just seen a deputy walk up to a female and shoot her and witnessed the deputy shoot himself.
According to a neighbor who asked to not be identified, DeMarco and Solano dated for about seven months before Solano decided to end the relationship, but police said they only dated since May 2017.
“It was just out of the blue,” the neighbor told the Palm Beach Post.
“She just told him ‘I’m done.’”
The neighbor asked DeMarco to have a beer with him on Sunday after noticing he seemed to have sunk into depression.
“I can’t. I’m on some medication,” he said.
The anonymous neighbor stated he felt safe around DeMarco after knowing him for about two years.
“I felt safe with him around there–to be honest.
“He was actually a real nice fellow.”
Solano is showing sings of improvement, but will require surgery over the weekend.
DeMarco, who was a volunteer football coach at a local high school a few years ago, was due in court with Solano on November 1 over the disputed furniture.
