911 calls reveal panic as neighbor opens fire in Pompano Beach. It’s not his first incident

Newly released 911 calls relay the desperate pleas of residents of a Pompano Beach apartment complex, as one of their neighbors was frantically firing bullets in the courtyard.

“Somebody just shot a bullet through my window, please,” a woman is heard telling a 911 operator. “Me and my daughter are on the floor.”

Late Tuesday night, shortly after 9:30 p.m., the Broward Sheriff’s Office received multiple alerts from both 911 callers and Shot Spotter about gunfire in the vicinity of the 700 block of Northwest Fifth Avenue in Pompano Beach.

Nearly two dozen gunshots were fired between Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies, and the shooter, Scott Simonelli, who was armed with a semi-automatic rifle, BSO said. The deputies shot and injured Simonelli. No one else was injured.

This incident marks another chapter in the history of the 51-year-old Simonelli, who has previously faced legal issues related to violence. Last year, Simonelli was charged in connection with a domestic dispute where he brandished a gun during an argument with a neighbor and her child, according to court records. The case was ultimately dropped.

“This is not the first time he’s been disorderly...we have babies in this house,” another woman says in the call, obtained by the Herald Friday. “He was detained in November for waving a loaded weapon in my daughter’s face.”

The woman told the operator she and her daughter live in the same apartment complex.

A deputy recognized Simonelli and warned colleagues of his “violent” past, Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said at a Wednesday press conference.

Deputies arrived and opened fire after one deputy’s flashlight accidentally illuminated their position. The deputies returned fire with at least 16 rounds, hitting Simonelli three times. He survived and was taken to the hospital by Pompano Beach Fire Rescue. The deputies were unharmed.

Simonelli was charged with attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, and two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, according to court records.

Records also show BSO filed a temporary risk protection order for Simonelli. This can happen when law enforcement deems someone a threat to themselves or others. He has been Baker Acted before, Tony said.

Past legal issues

In 2021, Simonelli attacked and threatened to kill someone he knew by pointing a gun in their direction.

And in 2017, he was accused of choking and banging his sister’s head on the floor.

Both cases were dropped.

In 2009, he was given one day of probation on drug charges and paid legal fees. As part of the resolution of that case, a semi-automatic handgun was returned to him.

Miami Herald staff reporter Devoun Cetoute contributed to this report.