On December 27, 2024, a judge finally dismissed murder charges against Edward Druzolowski. Druzolowski, aged 78, had shot and killed a violent felon, Brian Ford, 42, who was a neighbor. Ford had approached him with a chainsaw and threatened him on September 17, 2023, more than a year previously. The incident happened on Druzolowski’s property in Volusia County, Florida.
Durzolowski was covered by Florida’s Stand Your Ground law. Why did it take so long for the judge to dismiss the charges? The incident appeared to be a case of self-defense by an elderly man against a violent felon.
Druzolowski may have made misstatements when he was talking to police officers early on. Early stories did not mention that Ford had a chainsaw or that he had threatened Druzolowski. Early reports published on September 18, 2023, claimed Druzolowski said the opposite. From Fox35orlando:
Druzolowski said he thought his neighbor would leave his property after he pointed the gun and told him to leave. He said he had the gun for his protection and that he felt safer with it, but also noted that his neighbor did not have anything in his hands – weapons or otherwise – and did not threaten to harm or kill him.
Druzolowski was reported to have said he believed his revolver had two empty chambers, and the second pull of the trigger would also be a “click.” Instead, it was a “boom”.
Two days later, it was reported Ford’s son, eight years old, who was at the scene of the shooting, had told police officers a different version of events. The son said his father had told Druzolowski he would cut off Druzolowski’s head with a chainsaw. The son said the chainsaw was not running at the time. The chainsaw and two knives were found at the scene next to Ford’s body. The event occurred on Druzolowski’s property. Ford was cutting tree limbs on Druzolowski’s side of the fence with the chainsaw. From fox35orlandoeo:
Criminal defense attorney Michael Panella was not involved in the case, but said a stand your ground defense comes down to reasonableness, and whether the threat justifies deadly force.
“First of all, the decedent was armed. I think that’s a huge deal. The fact that he had the capability to cause great bodily harm with a chainsaw during this altercation can’t be underscored enough”, Panella said. “The other issue that came up in this case is that he had a reputation for violence.”
Panella also noted the drastic age and strength differences between Ford and Druzolowski – all factors he said a judge would take into consideration when ruling on a stand your ground case.
According to the Volusia County Clerk of Courts, Ford had been arrested close to two dozen times since 2004. Some of his charges were violent offenses.
Another incident in Florida in 2023 involved a gun and a chainsaw. From AmmoLand:
In 2023, in another gun v. chainsaw incident in Florida, a Florida Court of appeals ruled merely displaying and loading a firearm was not a “use of deadly force”.
It is bad policy to attempt to give detailed responses to police immediately after a self-defense event. These events almost always produce high levels of adrenaline. Acute stress can cause memory loss and the distortion of events in memory. If Druzolowski’s first interview with police had included the chainsaw, knives, and the threat, he might never have been prosecuted. Those facts were included in his testimony after the effects of the stress wore off, and he had the aid of an attorney. From synopticpotential.com:
What’s more, science suggests that the effects of stress on your ability to remember can be quite long-lasting (e.g. from 25-90 minutes after the stress) whilst your cortisol levels are still elevated, and only recovering once your cortisol has started to near its baseline levels.
In the emotion of the aftermath of shooting his neighbor, those facts escaped his memory. The physical evidence and the testimony of an eight-year-old who was on the scene with no reason to lie about a threat by his father were extremely important.
This correspondent knows of several instances where victims psychologically have a difficult time admitting they had to kill an attacker in self-defense. Instead they fantasize it was an “accident”, or “I did not intend to shoot him”, or “The gun went off”. These sorts of statements can conflict with a legal justification of self-defense. They indicate a crime of manslaughter or negligent homicide. If a person did not intend to shoot, the justification for shooting in self-defense is placed in question.
If a person is involved in a case of self-defense, consultation with an attorney should be done before a detailed statement is given to the police. Police officers routinely wait 24 hours before giving detailed statements when they have been involved in a shooting. 24 hours gives time for the stress to wear off and memory to return.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
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