TAMPA, Fla. – Police say a 23-year-old Florida man who was shot by his cousin wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest, but instead had donned a "fragmentation protective vest," also known as a flak jacket.
Tampa police said in a news release that Joaquin Mendez put on the vest late Saturday and "wondered aloud whether it still worked." Police say his 24-year-old cousin Alexandro Garibaldi pulled out a gun and responded, "Let's see."
Officers found Mendez outside the house with a gunshot wound to the chest. He later died at a hospital.
It's unclear how old the vest is or where it came from.
Garibaldi has been charged with manslaughter with a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm. He's being held at an area jail.
It's unclear whether he's retained an attorney.
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