Residents of a US town built by The Walt Disney Company were shocked this week when their cartoon-like community was transformed into an action set by two shootings and a police standoff.
Police said Friday they were investigating the two killings -- the first ever reported in the planned community of 11,000 -- where artificial snow falls every evening on the hour despite the balmy subtropical climate.
On Tuesday, police found the body of Matteo Giovanditto, 58. He was apparently shot to death in his home.
Two days later, police responding to a call about an armed man flooded into the neighborhood, setting up barricades, evacuating residents and locking down schools.
After a long standoff, the gunman turned his weapon on himself in an apparent suicide. The Osceola county sheriff's office said the two incidents were not related.
The town of Celebration was designed and built by Disney in the 1990s near its famed Florida resorts.
It is expected to proceed with a range of holiday events described on its website (celebrationtowncenter.com), including a "Winter Wonderland Spectacular featuring strolling Charles Dickens Carolers, photos with Santa, horse-drawn carriage rides" and an ice rink opening.
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