Man Who Bragged About His Gun Fatally Shoots Neighbor ‘Over Nothing’ While He’s on the Phone With His Mom

A Florida man has been arrested for fatally shooting his upstairs neighbor, who was smoking a cigarette and minding his own business.

On March 28, 48-year-old David Richard Morris was charged with second-degree murder without premeditation and discharging a firearm in a residential area in the death of 56-year-old Jeffrey Blevins.

A joint investigation by the homicide detectives from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Bartow Police Department revealed that Blevins suffered a fatal gunshot wound on the night of March 26 at the Fountain Place Apartments in Bartow.

The victim was allegedly on the phone with his mother during the attack, who heard the gunshot and alerted his sister.

Blevins had entry and exit wounds to the head caused by a single bullet, and investigators recovered a 9mm casing at the scene.

Residents told detectives that Morris “had been aggressive toward other tenants.”

A search warrant executed at the suspect’s apartment led to the discovery of a 9mm handgun in his bedroom closet with blood on it. A blood-stained white towel and clothing were also recovered.

A neighbor described Morris as a “suspicious guy who, when he was high on meth, would brag about his gun.”

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd also described the suspect as a conspiracy theorist. “He’s what they call a flat earther. He still doesn’t believe the Earth is round,” Judd said. “Well, the floor in the county jail is flat anyway, and that’s where he is,” reported WFLA.

According to authorities, there was no obvious conflict between the two men. “They hated each other, they’ve been fighting. There was no fight that night. This guy’s just a weirdo personality who’s not a real criminal, and why in the world he decided to shoot this guy? We don’t know,” Judd added.

Authorities said Morris was initially arrested and held at the Polk County Jail on charges including resisting and interfering with a traffic control device, related to possession of illegally obtained street signs.

As the investigation progressed, forensic experts tested the handgun recovered from his apartment. Shell casings from the weapon were entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) and matched the casing found at the crime scene, confirming it as the murder weapon.

During his first court appearance on March 29, Morris was denied bond on the murder charge, while a $1,000 bond was set for the firearm charge.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Blevins’ family on their loss. This was a senseless crime,” said Bartow Police Chief Stephen Walker.

“We would also like to thank the community for coming forward with information. While these small tips alone didn’t seem to mean much, together the information that was provided helped focus the investigation,” Walker continued.

“That partnership with our community is extremely important to helping us do our job effectively in law enforcement and keeping our communities safe.”

Judd said the case was solved through old-fashioned detective work, describing it as “following the evidence and leads.”