OCALA, Fla. — Ocala Police say a fight over ice cream ended in a double homicide Wednesday evening.
Investigators arrested 69-year-old Mark Robinson after police say he admitted to fatally shooting his roommates, Charles Etheze, 69, and Michael Menkes, 78.
The shooting occurred in the 1000 block of Southeast 8th Street in downtown Ocala.
According to a police report, the suspect admitted to drinking a bottle and a half of white wine before the shooting.
“This was what I would call a dysfunctional living arrangement,” said Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken, ”It’s clear that the homeowner quite frankly was an angry old man that had some alcohol problems.”
According to Balken, Robinson rented rooms to both victims.
Police said officers had been called to the home three other times, including about an hour before the shooting, when a dispute broke out over the roommates eating Robinson’s ice cream.
“In the end, I have a very young officer trying to calm three 60- and 70-year-old men down over ice cream,” Balken said.
Police said they believed they had resolved the disturbance call and had been told that Menkes and Etheze would go for a walk.
But according to police, after Menkes and Etheze returned, the ice cream dispute heated up again.
Investigators said 69-year-old Mark Robinson admitted to shooting the men after they allegedly made a comment referring to themselves as the “ice cream bandits.”
Robinson claimed one of the men was armed with a knife and that he opened fire in self-defense.
“He stated he felt threatened and then fired the shotgun at Mr. Etheze multiple times,” Balken said.
Balken said they are still investigating Robinson’s self-defense claims. He is facing one charge of Second-Degree murder for allegedly shooting Menkes as he ran away from the home.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.