March 5, 2025
PRESS RELEASE
(Escambia County, Florida) On March 5, 2025, Circuit Judge John Simon sentenced Michael Andrew Rodriguez to 30 years in state prison for Manslaughter with a Firearm. Rodriguez was convicted of the charge by an Escambia County Jury on January 31, 2025.
On the evening of July 21, 2023, Rodriguez shot and killed Damon Lane Caldwell, age 22, outside Sam’s Lounge on Old Corry Field Road.
Rodriguez shot Caldwell in the neck after Caldwell grabbed him by the shirt collar. Rodriguez testified at trial and claimed Caldwell was reaching for a gun with his other hand; however, the surveillance video shows Caldwell holding a beer bottle in that hand. Caldwell dropped the bottle when he fell to the ground after being shot.
Following the shooting, Rodriguez shot in the direction of other bystanders and then fled the scene. He was later located and apprehended by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office at his girlfriend’s house.
The investigation and arrest were made by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorney Amy Shea prosecuted the case on behalf of Ginger Bowden Madden, State Attorney for the First Judicial Circuit of Florida. For more information, please contact Ms. Shea at 850-595-0207.
