Sheriff: Three Best Friends ‘Massacred’ During Fishing Trip in Florida

Amy Furr

Three young men were “massacred” Friday while on a fishing trip in Frostproof, Florida, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

“Judd said Frostproof residents Brandon Rollins, 27, Keven Springfield, 30, and Damion Tillman, 23, were to meet at Lake Streety off US Hwy 27 Friday evening for some ‘night fishing,'” Fox 8 reported.

Tillman arrived first at the lake in his truck and was murdered not long after by one or more individuals, according to investigators.

“They were in the process of murdering Tillman when Judd said Rollins and Springfield arrived in another vehicle. Detectives believe they were immediately ‘shot up,'” the article read.

However, Rollins was able to call his father and say “help,” Judd noted.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) detailed the events in a press release Saturday:

Preliminary information is as follows: Around 10:06 p.m. on Friday, July 17, 2020, Brandon Rollins called his dad and said “Help” – his dad knew Brandon had gone fishing with his two friends, Keven and Damion. Brandon’s dad drove to Lake Streety Road. When he arrived he found his son Brandon barely alive, and his two friends deceased. Brandon was able to say a few things to his dad, which we are not releasing at this time.

“These folks appear to be beaten and shot. Do you hear me? Beaten and shot,” Judd said, adding that he could not say whether the killings were random or targeted.

“I’ve been to a lot of murder scenes in my life, and this ranks among the worst I’ve been to,” he explained.

In a tweet Saturday, PCSO asked for the public’s help regarding the case and said there was a $5,000 reward for information leading to any arrests:

Rollins’ father, Cyril, later described the phone call from his son.

“We heard some background and they fussing all that. But I left, I went on out here. When I got there I was looking for my son. It was a mess,” Cyril recalled.

“I found my son. I was holding him, he was telling me what happened but I was too shocked to know what was going on,” he explained.

At a press conference Saturday, Sheriff Judd said the killers would be held accountable.

“After all, think about it. This is someone’s sons, brothers, and we deserve to find these people and lock them up before they decide to kill someone else. And at this point in time, what do they have to lose? They’ve already killed three,” he concluded.

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