Two students of the Polk State College in Winter Haven were shot and killed in their friend’s apartment on Tuesday night and another is in stable condition.
Lake County police said, 32-year-old Joshua Davis shot and killed students Joe Palcacios and Christian Rodriguez, and wounded 20-year-old Estaban Zavala while the three were visiting at his home on East Lake Howard Drive.
Davis told detectives Rodriguez, Palacios and Zavala had come to his apartment to smoke some weed and hang out, but then he felt uneasy about something.
According to Davis’ Arrest Affidavit, the trio “were acting strange” and he began to have a “dark feeling” when he and Rodriquez and Zavala returned to the apartment after smoking weed outside.
Davis told police, as Rodriguez, Palcacios and Zavala sat in the living he felt they were “sending signals to each other” and after the tree said something in Spanish while looking at his 7-year-old daughter who had entered the room.
Davis also told police he grabbed his Ruger 9mm and shot Rodriguez in the head “to make sure he was dead.” He then turned his attention to Palcacios and fired at him, in the head, to make sure he was also dead, Davis also said.
The third victim, Zavala, charged him, Davis said and a struggle ensued between the two. But by this time, he said he was out of ammunition and ran to the kitchen for two knives to “finish off” Zavala, as he put it.
Zavala fled the apartment and was found with multiple gunshot wounds. He was airlifted to Lakeland Regional Medical Center and is in stable condition.
A resident of the apartment directly below Davis on the second floor called 911 around 6:45 p.m. to report that he heard what at first sounded like “banging” and a lot of “running around”, then “loud pops.”
Investigators arrived shortly after and secured the scene. Detectives said, there appeared to be signs of a struggle as furniture was moved around in Davis’ apartment.
Davis’ 7-year-old daughter told detectives after her dad had returned with two of his friends, she heard arguing and left the room. She also said she saw her dad get a “black gun”, heard shots and hid under a coffee table. She said she saw her dad shoot “Tom” then Joe. She told officers that her dad came to her after the shooting and told her he “did that because he was scared and was protecting her.” She also said, he apologized to her for the shooting, she told detectives.
Zavala who was interviewed by police said, he was hanging out at Davis’ house when “out of nowhere” he ran into his bedroom and came out shooting.
Joshua Davis has been charged with two counts of first degree murder, one count of attempted first degree murder and one count of child abuse.
