Who is Edward Druzolowski? Elderly man shoots neighbor dead for trimming trees along property line in Florida
DELEON SPRINGS, FLORIDA: A 78-year-old man named Edward Druzolowski was arrested for reportedly fatally shooting his neighbor's son Brian Ford, 42, while he pruned tree limbs on Sunday, September 17 in DeLeon Springs, Florida, some 50 miles north of Orlando.
The 42-year-old was reportedly shot in front of his eight-year-old child at his mother's house in DeLeon Springs, per The Sun.
What is Edward Druzolowski's crime?
The Volusia County Sheriff's Department reported that on Sunday at 7.13 pm, tensions erupted when Brian was pruning trees close to the fence that borders Druzolowski's property. The suspect's property sits adjacent to a lot that Linda Ford, Brian's mother, 76 owns.
The elder man claimed to have approached Brian and asked him to leave his house, according to the detectives. Druzolowski further admitted to authorities that he threatened to shoot Ford if the latter didn't leave.
How did Brian Ford die?
According to an affidavit obtained by NBC News, Edward Druzolowski claimed that his neighbor then started to approach him, at which point he fired numerous shots.
According to authorities, Brian was wounded by the gunfire and died on the spot. When the shooting happened, he and his eight-year-old son were in the yard.
Linda told the local NBC station WESH that her grandson was yelling and wanted to lie on top of his dead father after the shots were fired.
"Ed kept pointing the gun at him. He said, 'Shut up, kid,' to him," the heartbroken grandmother stated. "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."
Who reported the murder?
Just after 7 o'clock, two 911 calls were received, one of them from the shooter's wife.
She insisted that Druzolowski didn't intend to murder Ford, just alarm him with the firearm.
Linda placed the other call and informed the operator, "He's dead, I know he's dead. She was unable to go there since "the guy’s still … with a gun.”
She told authorities that her son was pruning trees on the opposite side of the fence in an effort to prevent the fence from being damaged.
Linda refuted the claim made by the suspect that Brian was intruding on his land.
"My fence is two feet inside my yard," she stated. "So I got another two feet outside my fenced area."
What are the charges against Edward Druzolowski?
Druzolowski was arrested on Sunday and lodged at the Volusia County Branch Jail on a charge of second-degree murder.
He is reportedly still being held without bond while a court hearing is scheduled.