A man has been charged with another man’s murder after a fight in Venice early Monday morning, police said.
The Venice Police Department said officers responded to a fight on South Grove Street at around 6:02 a.m.
Before law enforcement got to the scene, a witness reported seeing the fight between victim Jeffrey Hubbard, 67, and suspect Richard Barker, 42. At one point, the witness said she saw someone being dragged toward a pickup truck, which is when police said Baker left the scene.
When they arrived, they found Hubbard unresponsive at the scene, but despite life-saving measures by both the VPD and Venice Fire Rescue, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
An 8 On Your Side crew saw detectives and the medical examiner’s office collecting evidence for hours.
A red pickup truck, a smart car, and a motorcycle were towed from the scene at around 1:30 pm.
A portion of Grove Street was closed for hours while law enforcement investigated, but the road has been reopened.
The cause and manner of death will be determined later by the medical examiner’s office.
Officers later detained Barker after the witness said he returned to the scene with a trailer.
“Investigators determined that Mr. Hubbard and Mr. Barker were known to one another through their employment at the incident location, where Barker was employed by Hubbard,” “Barker was detained and subsequently made statements admitting responsibility for the incident. Following a careful review of the evidence developed during the investigation, and in consultation with the State Attorney’s Office, a determination was made to charge Barker with second‑degree murder and tampering with evidence.”
“While Venice is a safe community, we want the public to understand that serious crime does occur,” said Venice Police Chief Andy Leisenring. “This arrest marks the third murder arrest our department has made in the past six months. Our officers and investigators continue to do outstanding work to protect this community and bring cases to resolution.”
Brenda Morgan, the owner of a neighboring business, said she encountered the initial crime scene on her way to work this morning.
“We drove by at 6:45, and I told my husband something major is going on because we saw the crime tape, we weren’t sure if we should open our doors or whatnot,” Morgan said. “It’s a tight-knit community around here; it’s really sad and shocking to hear.”
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Source: wfla
