Wife tells police husband ‘killed neighbour’ for cutting trees in chilling call

19 September 2023 , 11:30

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Edward S. Druzolowski, 78, is accused of second-degree murder (Image: Volusia County Sheriff's Office)

A 78-year-old who fatally shot his neighbour’s son while he was trimming tree limbs has been arrested on suspicion of murder, after his wife phoned the police.

Edward Druzolowski is accused of second degree murder following the death of Brian Ford, 42, while he was trimming trees near the fence line on Druzolowski’s property. Tensions were high as Brian trimmed the hedges at 7:13pm in DeLeon Springs, Florida, north of Orlando.

The police received two calls, one from Druzolowski’s wife and one from Linda, 76, the victim’s mother. The alleged killer’s wife claimed he only meant to scare Brian with the gun - not to kill him.

Druzolowski told investigators he demanded Brian back away from his property while tree trimming, and that he threatened to shoot Ford if he didn’t leave. He claims Brian began walking towards him and then he fired multiple shots, according to an affidavit.

Brian died at the scene according to police - tragically, his eight-year-old was at the scene at the time of the shooting. His son screamed and wanted to lie on top of his father’s body after he was shot, Linda told local NBC affiliate WESH according to the Sun.

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The crime scene was closed off as police investigated the incident (wftv)

She said: "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."

Linda phoned the police aswell as Druzolowski’s wife, and told the operator: "He’s dead, I know he’s dead. I couldn’t go over there, the guy’s still … with a gun.” She explained that Brian was cutting trees on the other side of her fence - to prevent the fence getting damaged. She denied that Brian was encroaching on Druzolowski’s property as he claimed saying: "My fence is two feet inside my yard. So I got another two feet outside my fenced area."

Druzolowski was arrested on Sunday charged with second-degree murder and booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Department. He is being held without bond and has a court date upcoming.

Alex Croft