By Victor Omondi
On December 23, a Florida woman was shot after she was misidentified as the previous landlord of an evicted man.
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Sara Trost, a real estate agent, was waiting for a potential buyer in her car in front of a Coral Springs property when 51-year-old Raymond Reese shot her.
The arrest warrant state that a man drove up to Trost’s automobile and slammed his sedan into the front right tire. When Trost opened her car door, the man drew a revolver from his window and fired multiple shots at her before driving away.
Reese, who dialed 911 after the shooting, claimed that he’d shot his former landlord and that he was certain she was dead. He also offered his name, birthday, and address to the 911 dispatcher.
Sentinel reported that Reese also directed officers to his Ford Fusion, which had headlight damage and blood on the passenger side, where they found the gun, he reportedly used to shoot Trost.
According to the arrest warrant, “He was enraged at his former landlady over an email she sent him the day before, which he had read that morning.”
Authorities were informed by the woman who’d recently evicted Reese that she suspected she was the intended target.
The Sara Trost Memorial Fund was established by Rabbi Shuey Biston of Chabad of Parkland, Broward, Palm Beaches, and St. Lucie Realtors, to financially assist Trost’s husband Jason and her 3-year-old daughter Avery. A total of $18,000 has been raised so far.
Trost is described on the fund’s website as “larger than life” and a “committed real estate dealer.”
“There was always a smile on her face and a good word to share. Sara was the most giving and caring person to both those she personally knew and those whose paths happened to cross hers,” Biston wrote on the website.
Karen Johnson, president of the Broward, Palm Beach, and St. Lucie Realtors in 2021, informed the Sentinel that she believes the event will help raise awareness about the threats realtors confront.
“It was just a mistaken identity. She never even got out of the car,” Biston told the Sentinel.
According to online court records, Reese does not have an attorney.
