LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — A shooting at a Lakeland business left two men dead following a dispute, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The shooting happened Thursday afternoon at a business on US 92 near Fish Hatchery Road in an unincorporated part of Lakeland.
Deputies said it is believed that business partners Akeido Bennett of Kissimmee, 31, and Xavier Figueroa, 39, of Kissimmee had an ongoing dispute that eventually escalated into a shooting between the two men.
Bennet was killed at the scene of the shooting while Figueroa died from a gunshot wound while trying to drive away in his truck.
“This was an avoidable tragedy stemming from a disagreement between business partners,” Sheriff Grady Judd said. “We all have an obligation to our friends, our families, and society at large to talk things out instead of turning to violence. These men would still be alive today, and their families would not be grieving, had they been able to work out their differences civilly.”
At this time, no other suspects are believed to be at large. However, the shooting is still under investigation.
Correction: Deputies initially said Figueroa died at the scene while Bennet fled. They later said they switched the names by mistake. The above story has been corrected with the accurate information.