Police: Man shot after asking if bulletproof vest works

TAMPA, Fla. – Police say a Florida man asking if a bulletproof vest “still worked” was fatally shot by his cousin.

A Tampa Police report says 23-year-old Joaquin Mendez put on the vest late Saturday and “wondered aloud whether it still worked.”

Police say his cousin, 24-year-old Alexandro Garibaldi, pulled out a gun and responded, “Let’s see.”

Officers found Mendez outside the house with a gunshot wound in his chest. Mendez died at a hospital.

According to the report, Garibaldi initially told officers he found his wounded cousin after hearing a gunshot. However, police say a witness described Garibaldi shooting Mendez.

Police say the vest was found inside the house with a gunshot.

Garibaldi was held Sunday without bond on a manslaughter charge. Hillsborough County jail records didn’t show whether he had an attorney.