News and Investigations

A Winter Haven man was shot Saturday, January 11, 2020 at around 9:33 p.m.
after two motorists got into a confrontation on Lake Ned Road in Winter Haven.
The man suffered a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen and was taken to Winter Haven Hospital, but died a short time later.

At this time, there are no arrests as the investigation continues, but the man who fired the gun has been interviewed by detectives.

The deceased man was the driver of a pickup truck, which had been travelling east on Lake Ned Road. Behind his vehicle was an SUV, occupied by a male driver and a female passenger.

The occupants of the SUV told detectives that the pickup came to a sudden stop, which forced the SUV to stop suddenly. The driver then approached the SUV, cursing about them following too closely and saying that he should kill them.  He returned to the truck, turned around, and began walking back toward the SUV.

The driver of the SUV said that he feared the other driver was coming to kill him, so he grabbed a firearm from a dash compartment, pointed it out of his window toward the other driver, and fired. The female passenger called 911.

Witnesses said they heard three gunshots, with one of the witnesses saying he heard a man yell, "I don't want to kill you!" and a female yell, "Don't kill him, don't kill him!"

The two occupants of the SUV remained at the scene for law enforcement to arrive.

The investigation is in the initial phase and detectives are seeking further evidence to corroborate the victim's statements. Detectives will then present their investigation to the State Attorney's Office.

Anyone who might have information related to the case is asked to contact the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 863-298-6200.