Merritt Island man shoots roommate in face with pellet gun over $10, puppy, deputies say

Bryan Michael Edwards, 34, faces several charges

Brevard County Sheriff's Office cruiser vehicle (Copyright 2023 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A Brevard County man faces charges after he was accused of shooting his roommate in the face with a pellet gun following an argument over money and a dog, according to an affidavit for arrest warrant.

Deputies said they contacted the victim at Rockledge Regional Medical Center on Nov. 14, four days after a fight with the suspect, 34-year-old Bryan Michael Edwards, at a home along 412 Ormond Ave.

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According to the affidavit, Edwards woke the victim up and demanded he give him back $10 previously given to the victim the day prior for medication and torches. Edwards went on and demanded the victim watch his 6-month old black Pitbull puppy, according to deputies.

When the victim refused, the victim said Edwards became enraged and threatened him with an “AR”-style “automatic” pellet gun that he retrieved from his room, the affidavit said. Investigators said the fight escalated and moved outside in which Edwards began firing the pellet gun into the home, striking the victim in the left knee and chest.

The investigation revealed that the victim taunted Edwards for “being a terrible shot,” which led Edwards to putting the pellet gun inches from the victim’s left cheek and shooting him in the face, deputies said. The shooting left the victim with several cracked teeth, which later became swollen, infected and in need of medical care at the hospital.

Edwards was arrested on Jan. 6 and charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm and shooting into or throwing a deadly missile into a dwelling.


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