FL man shoots and kills his cousin while testing out bulletproof vest

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TAMPA, FL (WFLA) – A man wanted to see if a bulletproof vest he had actually worked, and his cousin shot him in the chest, Tampa Police officers said. The man died from his injuries.

It happened at a home located on Gordon Street in Tampa Saturday evening. Shortly after 10 p.m. TPD officers responded to the home after a report of a shooting.

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When they arrived they located the victim outside of the house with a gunshot wound to the chest. In the house, the officers found blood and a bullet proof vest. Alexandro Garibaldi, 24, told them that he heard a gunshot and found the victim outside.

But a witness at the scene told another story. The witness said that the victim Joaquin Mendez, 23, sat in a chair and put on a bullet proof vest. He wondered out loud whether it still worked. Garibaldi took out a handgun, stated "Let's see," and shot at the vest. The vest was found in the house with a projectile entrance hole, according to TPD.

Mendez was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries.

Garibaldi was arrested and charged with manslaughter with a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm.