Man accused of gunning down neighbor during tree-trimming dispute
By Ben Brasch
September 19, 2023
A disagreement over trimming a tree turned deadly after an elderly man shot his neighbor, according to a Florida sheriff’s office, the latest example of a pedestrian situation in the United States ending with a shooting death.
Edward Druzolowski was arrested Sunday on a second-degree murder charge after admitting to detectives he killed 42-year-old Brian Ford for not leaving Druzolowski’s property while trimming trees along their fence line, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. Ford’s 8-year-old son watched his father get gunned down.
A 78-year-old with osteoporosis, Druzolowski told detectives he brought the gun for protection because he feared what being shoved to the ground would do to his body. Druzolowski’s wife told detectives her husband only meant to “scare” Ford.
Druzolowski said he never had problems with Ford. He said they hadn’t spoken in a couple of years. But he was afraid of Ford because Ford had told him in the past how he would win fights in prison.
“Edward said he was afraid Brian would have hurt or killed him if he didn’t shoot him,” detectives wrote.
Druzolowski told detectives he was in his bedroom watching football Sunday evening when his wife came in to say that Ford was cutting branches off their tree. He didn’t think much of it because he thought Ford was on his own property, according to the arrest report.
When Druzolowski’s wife came back later and said Ford was on their property, Druzolowski got his holstered .357 Magnum revolver wrapped in a blue handkerchief from the bottom drawer of his nightstand and went outside.
Druzolowski, in the arrest report, said he saw his gate open from his back porch and Ford with a chain saw. Druzolowski said he told Ford to get off his property, he told deputies. Ford essentially told him to mind his business and then cursed at him, Druzolowski said.
The older man said he then pulled out his revolver, threw the holster and handkerchief on the ground and aimed at Ford.
“‘You are pointing a gun at me, are you going to shoot me?’” Druzolowski recalled Ford saying as the younger man approached. Druzolowski told detectives he yelled for Ford to stop coming closer or he would shoot.
Druzolowski told detectives he keeps the first two chambers of his revolver empty as a safety measure. But aiming at Ford, he pulled the trigger once. Click. Nothing. He said Ford kept moving toward him. Click.
This time, the gun fired. Apparently there was a round in the chamber.
Druzolowski said he yelled for his wife to call 911.
Druzolowski said he hadn’t called 911 earlier because he didn’t think they would respond to a tree dispute between neighbors, plus Ford would be off his property by the time police arrived.
Authorities interviewed Ford’s 8-year-old son, who saw his father shot and killed. The boy said his father told Druzolowski, “I’ll cut your head off with the chain saw” but that the chain saw was not on or running.
Police found Ford face up with a chain saw by his right foot and two knives nearby.
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