A man allegedly fatally shot his neighbor, who was trimming trees along the fence lines between their homes, Sunday night in central Florida, local police said in a statement.
Edward Druzolowski, 78, accused 42-year-old Brian Ford of trespassing on his property as Ford was trimming tree limbs along the fence line between their homes shortly after 7 p.m. in DeLeon Springs, Volusia County, police spokesperson Andrew Gant said in a statement. Druzolowski allegedly “threatened to shoot Ford, and when Ford didn’t leave, he shot him,” Gant added.
Ford was visiting his mother, Linda, at the residence to celebrate a birthday and help with yard work, WESH 2 News reported. Ford was with his eight-year-old son at the time. Druzolowski then allegedly aimed the gun at the screaming son who witnessed the shooting, and at Linda.
“He said, ‘He shot my dad.’ He was screaming, ‘He shot my dad,’ and he wanted to go over and lay on top of his dad’s body,” Linda said, according to WESH 2. “Ed kept pointing the gun at him. He said, ‘Shut up, kid,’ to him. And then Ed was pointing the gun at me. He was walking towards the fence line, and I backed up, and I was screaming through the yard.”
“My husband had it in his hand. He meant to scare him, and he hit him. He was on our property,” Druzolowski’s wife reportedly said, the outlet noted.
Deputies arriving at the scene tried to save Ford’s life but emergency personnel later pronounced him dead at the scene, per the police statement. (RELATED: Neighbor Accused Of Killing 4, Including Two Teens After Alleged Indecent Exposure Incident)
“The initial investigation indicates the victim, a 42-year-old man, was trimming trees over his property line when his neighbor came outside and fired a shot that struck and killed him…The shooter in this case, 78-year-old Edward S. Druzolowski (DOB 5/7/1945), has been taken… https://t.co/1WhbqXva9M pic.twitter.com/Y6b5cUFTtz
— Steve Lookner (@lookner) September 18, 2023
Volusia County police arrested Druzolowski on a charge of second-degree murder, Gant said. Druzolowski was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail and is being held without bond pending his first court appearance.