A murder charge against a 79-year-old Florida man was dropped Friday after he successfully argued he shot his neighbor’s adult son in self-defense.
Edward Druzolowski was arrested in September 2023 after confronting 42-year-old Brian Ford, who was on Druzolowski’s side of a fence as he was trimming tree limbs along the two men’s property line. In her call to 911, Druzolowski’s wife said her husband “just meant to scare him” when confronting Ford with a firearm, according to court documents.
Ford, who was with his 8-year-old son, reacted aggressively, investigators concluded. The two men exchanged words, and Ford reportedly threatened the defendant with a chainsaw, prompting Druzolowski to draw the firearm.
Druzolowski told police he warned Ford and told him “to get off his property and Brian said something to the effect of, ‘mind your business,’ followed by some cuss words.”
The DeLeon, Florida, resident said he then aimed his gun at Ford, who allegedly responded, “‘You are pointing a gun at me, are you going to shoot me?’ and moved closer.”
Ford remained on the Druzolowski’s property, inching closer until the neighbor told him, “Stop right now or I’ll shoot!'”
ABC News reported Druzolowski told investigators Ford continued to advance even after the older man dry-fired his revolver on an empty chamber.
“He said his firearm holds 6 rounds in the cylinder, but he keeps the first two empty for safety reasons. He stated Brian heard the gun click and continued to advance towards him, so he pulled the trigger the second time. He advised this time the firearm went off and he shot Brian,” authorities wrote to the court in 2023.
He was charged with second-degree murder.
In his defense, Druzolowski cited his age, physical condition — he suffers from osteoporosis — and the size difference between him and Ford. Ford’s son turned out to be a key witness, telling police his father had threatened the elderly man.
And Ford, according to court documents, had a reputation for violence and was known to have a criminal history.
The court determined prosecutors didn’t provide convincing evidence that Druzolowski was not entitled to immunity on the basis of the “stand your ground” law, which says people faced with threats to their safety are not required to retreat before responding with force to a threat to their safety.
The ruling has reignited debate over the controversial law, with critics argue can lead to unjust outcomes in cases involving murky circumstances. Such laws have been linked to increased homicide rates.
In 2012, the nation was captivated by the case of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida.
Zimmerman claimed he acted in self-defense under Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law after an altercation with Martin, who was unarmed and walking back to his father’s house from a convenience store.
The case sparked widespread protests and debates about racial profiling, self-defense laws, and gun control. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder but was acquitted in 2013, leading to significant public outcry.
Homeowners with quick triggers have captured headlines across the nation in recent years. In 2023, an 84-year-old Kansas City man shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl after the teen went to the wrong address to pick up his siblings. The white homeowner told authorities he fired immediately after answering the doorbell after he allegedly saw Yarl, who is Black, pulling at the door handle, according to court documents. The teen sustained a serious brain injury.
In April 2024, Kaylin Gillis, 20, was struck and killed by gunfire as a man fired two shots from his front porch. Gills and three others had accidentally turned into his driveway while looking for a friend’s house in rural upstate New York, according to authorities.
