Family and neighbors remembered Sharif Simmons as investigators continued searching for a suspect in the targeted Bethune Avenue shooting.
WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — Family members, friends and neighbors are mourning 49-year-old Sharif Simmons after he was fatally shot outside a Winter Garden home, while police continue searching for the person responsible for the targeted attack.
Simmons died late Wednesday, Aug. 19, after police were called to a home on Bethune Avenue at about 11:25 p.m. Investigators said Simmons and others had been playing cards before the shooting. Officers found him outside the residence, where he was pronounced dead.
As detectives gathered evidence and interviewed witnesses, people who knew Simmons began describing the loss left behind. Neighbor Yvette Kemp told News 6 that she initially mistook the sound of gunfire for fireworks before learning that Simmons had been killed.
“I couldn’t even go to sleep,” Kemp said. “That’s how loved Sharif was. He was a very loving guy.” Simmons’ mother also remembered her son as well-mannered, widely known and loved by people around him, according to local reporting.
Friends and relatives shared memories of Simmons as a friend, brother, uncle and mentor. Kemp said she had seen him about a week before his death and remembered him laughing and spending time with people close to him. The memories came as investigators returned to the neighborhood looking for witnesses and surveillance video that could help explain what happened.
The killing has also renewed concern among people living around Bethune Avenue. Kemp said residents have experienced violence in the area before and described the latest death as another painful event for the neighborhood. Police have said the shooting appears to have been targeted and that they do not believe there is a continuing danger to the community.
Investigators have not released the identity or description of a suspected shooter. They also have not publicly announced a motive or explained what happened between the card game and the shooting. No one had been taken into custody as police continued the homicide investigation.
For Simmons’ family and neighbors, the unanswered questions now accompany the grief. Police are continuing to collect information and have asked anyone who witnessed the shooting or has relevant information to contact the Winter Garden Police Department or Crimeline.
Author note: Last updated Aug. 22, 2026.