A man shot and killed his neighbor because he was trimming trees too close to the property line, according to investigators in Volusia County, Fla.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a shooting just after 7 p.m. Sunday in a neighborhood in De Leon, Fla.

Deputies learned 42-year-old Brian Ford had been trimming trees over the property line when the neighboring homeowner, 78-year-old Edward Stanley Druzolowski, came outside and fired a shot, striking Ford.

Deputies arriving on the scene attempted life-saving measures, but Ford was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ford was killed in front of his 8-year-old son, investigators said.

Additional investigation determined Druzolowski had confronted Ford about being on his property prior to the shooting. Druzolowski told detectives he had threatened to shoot Ford and when Ford didn’t leave, he shot him.

WFTV reported Druzolowski called 911 to report the shooting.

“I was pointing a gun at him and trying to get him off my property,” Druzolowski said, according to the report. “Then he kept walking toward me, really close, so I shot him.”

Druzolowski reportedly told investigators he was afraid of Ford because Ford had spent time in prison. Florida Department of Corrections records show Ford was released from state prison in June 2022 after serving two years for assault and other charges.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said none of allowed Druzolowski to shoot Ford.

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

Chitwood also noted that not only did Ford’s son watch his father die in front of him, the boy will now be a witness in the case.

Druzolowski was booked Monday on a charge of 2nd-degree murder. He is being held without bond in the Volusia County Branch Jail awaiting an initial court appearance.

If convicted, Druzolowski would face up to life in prison under Florida law.