COCOA, Fla. – A man was taken into police custody following a homicide Wednesday on Ridge Drive in Cocoa, police said.
Fredrick Cottrell, 43, was arrested Thursday morning on a charge of second-degree murder.
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Police received multiple calls at 9:51 p.m. Wednesday about an argument between two neighbors on Ridge Drive. One 911 call was from a woman who said he husband had been stabbed in the neck and was bleeding, according to the arrest report.
Cottrell was located on Cocoa Bay Boulevard by police after witnesses described him as the suspect. Police found two pocket knives in Cottrell’s pocket, including one with possible blood on it, according to the report.
The victim was pronounced deceased at 10:12 p.m. inside his home.
Cottrell told investigators he was defending a neighbor when the victim “swung his arm with a square object in his hand that he believed to be a firearm,” according to the report. Cottrell said he saw a muzzle flash and during this encounter he “poked the victim” in the stomach, followed by another stab to the left side of his neck, according to the report.
Cottrell then said he “poked the victim up to 4 times with his knife,” according to police.
Surveillance video of the incident reviewed by police showed Cottrell walking toward the victim’s home with a knife in his hand. The report does not indicate the victim was armed and police said he had no defensive wounds.
According to the victim’s mother, the only firearm at the home is a rifle that is not operable.
Cottrell is being held at the Brevard County Jail without bond, records show.