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Thrown beer can leads to fatal shooting in Lake County, records show

Wallace Kirkland faces manslaughter, aggravated battery with firearm charges

Wallace Kirkland (Lake County Sheriff's Office)

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A thrown beer can in Lake County led to a fatal shooting, according to sheriff’s officials.

Wallace Kirkland, 59, was arrested on Saturday in Sorrento.

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According to an arrest affidavit, Kirkland was standing along the road near Quaker Ridge Avenue with two other people on Friday when an off-road vehicle drove past. Kirkland threw a beer can toward the vehicle and the driver got out and said something similar to “I’m going to kill you,” according to the affidavit.

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Witnesses told deputies the driver was “physically smaller” than Kirkland and another man who was there.

According to the affidavit, when the driver got within a few feet of Kirkland, witnesses said they heard a gunshot, saw the driver get back into the vehicle and drive before losing consciousness. Deputies said the driver was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Kirkland faces charges of manslaughter and aggravated battery with a firearm.

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