A 31-year-old man has been charged with first-degree felony murder
after shooting three of his co-workers dead because they mocked him in a
practical joke, according to police. Andrew Joseph Lobban allegedly
took issue with a video his colleagues had taken of him being fooled in a
prank. The men, who all worked as bouncers at the Ocala Entertainment
Complex, Florida, had recently gone to a local shooting range. Lobban’s
colleagues rigged his gun so it would misfire and then filmed his
confusion and struggle to control the firearm on their mobile phones.
On Saturday night, it seemed the joke came up again while the friends
were out drinking. Police said Lobban cracked over the practical joke
and shot dead three of his colleagues in his rage. The shooting occurred
close to 1am outside local bar AJ’s when the men were leaving to move
on elsewhere. Sgt. Angy Scroble told the Ocala StarBanner that he ‘kept
harping on’ about the joke video. David Rutherford was in the bar when
the shooting happened. ‘All you hear is the bouncer yelling, ‘Get back’,
Rutherford told WKMG. ‘It was hard not knowing what was going on. You
peek out and you see guys laying on the ground.’ Witnesses claimed
Lobban was the gunman.
After the three men were shot, he was allegedly seen heading north,
and was eventually arrested later that morning at his girlfriend’s house
in Silver Spring Shores. The victims were identified as Benjamin Larz
Howard, 23, of Belleview; Jerry Bynes Jr, 20; Josue Santiago, 25, both
from Ocala. All three victims were shot in the head. Two were reported
dead on the scene while one was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
According to the affidavit, Lobban admitted to the shooting. He said
he dumped a 9mm pistol and a black t-shirt in a nearby dumpster, both of
which were discovered by investigators. He went on to say that he only
meant to shoot Santiago, and the other two were accidents. The men’s
boss, Bobby Tillander, was in shock at the incident and said it was out
of character for Lobban, who he described as quiet and reserved. ‘If he
said 10 words to you during his shift, he said a lot,’ he told the Star
Banner.
Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn called the shooting ‘ridiculous.’ ‘It makes no
sense. It’s senseless that three people lost their lives. It’s a sad
situation.’ Santiago, who dreamed of owning his own club one day, leaves
behind two young children – a son and a 2-month-old daughter. ‘He was a
gentle giant, a great son, a provider and a good father to his family,’
Santiago’s mother Maria Santiago told the StarBanner.
Bynes was also the father to a 2-and-half-month-old daughter. ‘He was
a good kid, liked to laugh and joke. He wanted everyone to be happy,’
Bynes’ mother Dawn Acosta Romaine told the StarBanner. On Sunday night,
around 100 people gathered outside of the Ocala Entertainment Complex to
hold a candlelight vigil. Lobban is currently being held in Marion
County Jail without bond.
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