MOUNT DORA, Fla. — A 36-year-old Tavares man accused of killing a barbershop owner over a $2 haircut threatened everyone else in the shop before he was tackled and beaten into submission, a Mount Dora police report said.
Ryan Paul Thornhill was arrested and charged with shooting Wilfredo Nieves in the head from point-blank range 15 minutes after the barber refused to cut his hair for $2.
Witnesses said it appeared Thornhill was intoxicated at the time, the report said.
According to a witness, “the victim politely escorted Thornhill out of the shop and explained to him that he did not have enough money for a haircut and that he appeared too intoxicated to receive a haircut,” the report said.
About 15 minutes later, Thornhill allegedly returned with a handgun, walked up to Nieves and shot him in the head, witnesses said.
He then waved the gun toward the other people in the barbershop before they tackled him and got the gun away, the Mount Dora police report said.
“(The witness) stated that he believed that Thornhill was going to continue shooting, and was going to kill everyone in the shop,” the report said.
Other patrons in the shop beat Thornhill into submission, and he had to be flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment of his injuries, officers said.
After he was released from the hospital, Thornhill was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Cox Media Group
