Florida man charged with murder in tree-trimming dispute witnessed by 8-year-old

DELEON SPRINGS, Fla. – A 78-year-old Florida man has been charged in the shooting death of his neighbor's son in what police say was a dispute over tree-trimming.

Edward Druzolowski, 78, has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of his neighbor's son, 42-year-old Brian Ford.

A judge ordered him held without bail. The public defender's office assigned to his case did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment Monday.

Druzolowski, who has admitted to shooting Ford, initially described his actions as self-defense. Here's what we know:

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What happened?

A charging affidavit says that Druzolowski confronted Ford as he was trimming tree limbs for his mother along the fence between the homes in DeLeon Springs, Florida, near Daytona Beach.

Druzolowski told detectives that he was holding the gun behind his back as he came within 5 feet of Ford and told him to get off his property, according to the document.

Druzowlowski said Ford responded with something like, "Mind your business," along with some curse words.

At that point, Druzolowski said he fired an empty round at Ford when Ford moved toward him. Druzolowski said that Ford continued to advance, and that's when he fired a live round at him, hitting the younger man in the chest.

Druzolowski's wife then called 911.

Ford was declared dead at the scene.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood told WOFL-TV that Ford's 8-year-old son witnessed the shooting.

“He watched his father die in front of him and get shot, and obviously, he’s really going to be a witness in this case as to what happened,” Chitwood told the station.

Contradictory statements

Druzolowski gave contradictory accounts of why he shot Ford to a 911 dispatcher and investigators with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

"I am sorry, I was really scared for my life," Druzolowski initially told a 911 dispatcher, saying Ford was pointing a gun at him.

He later told detectives that he didn't recall seeing a weapon on Ford and that Ford hadn't made any threats.

Druzolowski's wife, who initially called 911, said she saw Ford push her husband.

"My husband took his gun but I think he meant to scare him and I think he killed him," she told a dispatcher.

Meanwhile, Ford's 8-year-old son told the Department of Children and Families that his dad told Druzolowski: "I'll cut your head off with the chainsaw," according to the affidavit.

He said his dad was holding a chainsaw at the time and that it was turned off.

Detectives found the chainsaw, a folding knife and an unsheathed buck knife near Ford's body.

Druzolowski later told detectives that it was Ford's reputation and criminal history that scared him, according to the affidavit.

Chitwood told WOFT-TV that doesn’t excuse his actions.

“You just can’t walk around shooting people because they step foot on your property," he said. "That’s why we have the police. You have to be reasonable in your approach."

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Ford's criminal history

Ford's criminal history includes 15 felony arrests starting in 2000.

Most recently, Ford was arrested on July 22 for violating a protection order stemming from domestic violence, court records show. The alleged victim declined to press charges.

In 2021, Ford was arrested on charges of battering his girlfriend, with whom he shared three children, reports show.

When Ford was arrested for felony battery, he violated his probation stemming from charges of attempted aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and shooting/throwing a deadly missile into a building or vehicle. He pleaded no contest to the charges.

Florida Department of Corrections records show that Ford spent two years in prison for the offenses and was released in June 2022.

What Ford's mother says

Brian Ford's mother, Linda Ford, told WESH-TV that her son was in town to celebrate a birthday and do some yard work for her.

She said that she was in the carport in her walker when the shooting happened.

“I heard a big boom, and then he started, the little one started screaming, ‘He shot my dad! He shot my dad!” Linda Ford told the station.

She said that the area her son had been trimming was within her property line, as the fence Brian Ford crossed was 2 feet within her lot boundary.

She told NBC News that her son son worked as a handyman, doing odd jobs to provide for his three sons, sons, 20, 18 and 8 years old.

“He was wonderful,” she told the network. “He was wonderful to his children. He was wonderful to me all the time. He was handy. He would help anybody at anytime. He would drop everything”