Man shot to death at his home

OCALA -- A man was shot to death at his home at 951 N.W. 59th Avenue, at about 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Marvin Travis Wilkinson, 45, was unconscious and not breathing when he was taken by ambulance to Munroe Regional Medical Center by Marion County Fire Rescue. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, said Fire Rscue spokeswoman Peveeta Persaud.

Wilkinson’s wife told investigators that at about 6:10 p.m., two men knocked on the door, and he opened the door. Apparently, he noticed at least one of the men had a gun and turned away, but he was shot in the back. His wife, whose name was not available Sunday night, went out a back window of the house.

“It happened so quick, she was unable to get a complete description,’’ said sheriff’s crime scene supervisor Lt. Bill Sowder. Deputies searched the rural neighborhood off State Road 40, west of Interstate 75, including with the aid of the department’s helicopter. By nightfall, the neighborhood, with its unlit limerock roads, was almost pitch black.

Joe VanHoose can be reached at joe.vanhoose@starbanner.com or at 867-4124.