An 8-year-old boy witnessed the shooting death of his father, who was shot to death by an elderly neighbor for trimming tree branches on the man’s property line in Florida, officials and court records revealed.
Edward Druzolowski, 78, was arrested by Volusia County sheriff’s deputies Sunday night, as seen in body camera video released by the agency, after calling 911 to report he had shot Brian Ford, 42 years old.
“Someone is dead on the tree branches. Are you kidding me?” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told WFTV.
“I can’t imagine what’s going through that 8-year-old boy’s head who saw his father die in front of him.”
Druzolowski, who now faces a second-degree murder charge, suggested he opened fire in self-defense.
“I was pointing a gun at him at the time to try to get him off my property and he kept walking towards me very close, so I shot him,” the suspect admitted to an emergency operator.
Druzolowski told detectives he was afraid of Ford because he had served time in jail, but Sheriff Chitwood said that did not excuse his violent actions.
Edward Druzolowski, 78, appeared in court Monday to face a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of Brian Ford.CNN
Druzolowski said during an interview with a detective that he was watching football games at his home in the 1800 block of Alameda Drive in DeLeon Springs when his wife told him Ford was cutting tree branches on their property.
The homeowner grabbed his loaded .357 Magnum revolver from his nightstand and, holding the firearm behind his back, walked to his backyard to confront Ford and order him off his land, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by ThePost.
The 42-year-old allegedly responded “something like ‘mind your own business,’” followed by a series of expletives.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office released body camera video showing Druzolowski’s arrest in DeLeon Springs, Florida, on Sunday night. Volusia Sheriff’s Office
Druzolowski then pointed his gun at Ford, who asked if the older man was going to shoot him, and then began advancing toward the armed neighbor.
The 78-year-old man said he yelled “stop now or I’ll shoot,” and when Ford didn’t comply and continued to approach, he pulled the trigger the first time, but no bullets came out because he said “keep going.” his first two [rounds] empty for security reasons.”
Ford heard the “click” of the gun but still did not stop, Druzolowski said. That’s when he pulled the trigger again and this time shot Ford in the chest area.
He speculated that the bullet hit Ford, who was not wearing a shirt, in one of his lungs.
The gunman then told his wife to call 911 to get medical help for the victim. Ford died instantly.
Druzolowski’s wife was quoted as telling an emergency operator about Ford’s fatal shooting that her husband just “wanted to scare him and hit him.”
Druzolowski allegedly admitted to shooting and killing his neighbor after he refused to leave his yard where Ford had been trimming tree branches.WTVD-TV
Druzolowski acknowledged to authorities that Ford did not have a weapon in his hands during their confrontation and that at no time did he threaten to kill or harm him.
His wife also told investigators that Ford was unarmed and made no verbal threats to hurt her husband.
However, Ford’s young son, who was in the yard and witnessed his father’s death, later told investigators that his father told Druzolowski, “I’ll cut your head off with the chainsaw,” which he claimed, his father maintained, but that was not the case. in.
The affidavit noted that when officers responded to the scene, they found the chainsaw and two knives next to Ford’s lifeless body lying face up in Druzolowski’s yard.
Druzolowski said Ford was not armed and did not threaten to kill or harm him, but he was still afraid of getting hurt. Volusia Sheriff’s Office
Druzolowski and Ford had no history of disputes, but the elderly suspect said he had stopped talking to Ford a couple of years ago because his frequent run-ins with the law “made him afraid” after the 42-year-old boasted about winning . fights while he is in prison.
The 78-year-old also said he thought if he pointed the gun at Ford, the man would leave his yard. But as the discussion intensified, Druzolowski said he “was afraid [Ford] “I would have hurt or killed him if I hadn’t shot him.”
Druzolowski also mentioned that he suffers from osteoporosis, a bone disease, and feared that if Ford pushed him, “it would have hurt a lot.”
“He stated that in his current medical condition, he would not confront anyone without a firearm,” according to the affidavit. “With [Ford’s] reputation, he felt safer with a gun in his hand.”
Chitwood predicted that Druzolowski would file a “Stand Your Ground” case and argue that he opened fire in self-defense because he feared for his life, especially given his medical condition, but the sheriff said the septuagenarian should have called the police. to take matters into his own hands.
“You can’t go around shooting people just because they step on your property,” said Chitwood, who called Ford’s death “senseless.”
Druzolowski remained in the county jail without bond. He is due back in court for an arraignment on October 12.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn