COCOA, Fla. -- A shooting at a Cocoa home invasion left two men dead early Tuesday morning, according to police.

  • Police say it was not a random shooting
  • Victim and one of the suspect reportedly knew each other
  • Victim's girlfriend, child not hurt

Cocoa Police are also saying the deadly home invasion was not a random act -- the home was targeted.

At around 1:30 a.m., there was a shooting during an attempted home invasion that happened on the 150 block of Peachtree Street, police said in a news release.

Investigators say three men entered the home of 19-year-old Jaleen Malik Howard with his girlfriend and child inside.

"The intended male victim and possibly one of the suspects has been transported to the hospital," according to the Cocoa Police Department.  

Yvonne Martinez, the public information officer for the Police Department, stated to Spectrum News 13 that the two men who were shot -- Howard and one of the suspects, 22-year-old Rahkwon Shiem Oquendo -- died, and the shooting was not a "random act, and those involved appear to have known each other."

Timothy Stoeckel who lives nearby says he was awake and about to leave his house when he heard the gunshots.

"I was looking towards the river and I heard gun shots like, 'pop pop pop.' I'm not from the hood, but I know what gun shots sound like," Stoeckel explained.

A friend of Howard who didn't want to be identified for safety reasons, believes money could have been the motive since there are rumors of Howard receiving a settlement and posting pictures of himself with large sums of cash on Facebook.

Howard's girlfriend and child were not hurt during the home invasion.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).