WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A South Florida man was arrested Thursday after fatally shooting his neighbor during a dispute about a dog, police said.
Ian Stefan, 26, of West Palm Beach, faces a charge of second-degree murder.
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West Palm Beach police said Stefan shot and killed Slobodan Jakovljevic, 68, during a Feb. 5 argument at the Park Place Apartments.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Stefan was walking his dog through the complex without a leash when Jakovljevic confronted him about it.
"Stefan responded, but the response is unknown," which upset Jakovljevic, Detective Andrea Branch wrote in the affidavit.
Jakovljevic charged at Stefan with his fists clinched, at which time Stefan pulled out a gun and shot Jakovljevic in the chest, police said.
According to the affidavit, "no words or physical altercation ensued as Jakovljevic was moving toward Stefan."
Stefan then called 911.
"I was about to be attacked for not having my dog on a leash by a man I've had previous issues with," Stefan told the 911 dispatcher, police said.
Stefan went on to say that he was scared for his life when he pulled out his gun. Police said he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
When the 911 dispatcher asked Stefan if he shot somebody, Stefan replied, "Yes, I did."
But police said Stefan did not try to help Jakovljevic after the shooting, refusing to administer CPR.
"He's completely blooded out and he's not breathing anymore. I'm sorry," Stefan told the 911 dispatcher, police said.
Members of the homeowners association told police "there were only a few issues" between the men, involving Stefan's dog not being on a leash and Stefan not reporting guests to security.
"No board member interviewed during this investigation ever witnessed anything physical between Stefan and Jakovlevic," the affidavit said.
The investigation concluded that Stefan's actions were "imminently dangerous and there is no reasonable explanation for him to have shot and killed Slobodan Jakovljevic over a strictly verbal dispute involving an unleashed dog," Branch wrote.