Florida roommates argued over who ate their ice cream, then one of them allegedly pulled a gun on the other two: ‘Both of them died’
He allegedly said he was acting in self-defense
A Florida man has been arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder, with the possibility of more charges to follow, after he was accused of fatally shooting his two roommates after the three men got into an argument over ice cream, according to police.
Mark Robinson, 69, allegedly attacked his two roommates on Wednesday, October 28. Police initially received a call at 4:16 p.m. regarding a verbal disturbance between three men: Robinson, who was the homeowner, and his two tenants who rented rooms in his home on SE 8th Street.
In a news conference held on Thursday, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken said that officers interviewed the men and “determined the dispute really had something to do with someone eating someone else’s ice cream, if you can believe that.” Balken also said that no crimes were reported at the time and “peace was restored.” He later labeled the living arrangement as “dysfunctional.”
According to an article from People, the two tenants left the residence to go for a walk. However, an hour later, police were called back to the house after they received a 911 call about shots being fired. Upon returning to the scene, they found the two men, aged 69 and 78, had been shot and had died from their injuries.
Mark Robinson surrendered to police
Robinson surrendered to police and allegedly confessed to shooting the two men. According to Balken, he told detectives that, after police had left the property the first time, he feared that things would escalate and armed himself with his 12-gauge shotgun.
He allegedly told officers that he had acted in self-defense, claiming that, when the two men returned, the argument, which had started over food, had escalated, leading one of them to arm himself with a knife. He also said one of the men rushed towards him, so he fired the gun multiple times, allegedly telling officers that he felt threatened.
According to Balken, evidence from the scene indicated that Robinson shot one of his roommates in the back as he was attempting to flee. The police chief said authorities are investigating the man’s self-defense claims and also noted that a knife was found at the scene.
“It’s clear that the homeowner, quite frankly, was an angry old man that had some alcohol problems and could get nasty with not only his neighbors but his tenants as well,” Balken claimed. Following the incident, Robinson was charged with second-degree murder; he also stated that other charges might be possible.
Robinson remains in custody and is next due to appear in court on December 1.
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