STUART, FLORIDA — A man will not face charges after shooting his neighbor who sprayed him in the face with insect spray, the State’s Attorney’s Office said according to TC Palm.
Michael Roberts, 63, shot and killed his neighbor Andrew Karacsonyi, 65, after Karacsonyi allegedly sprayed him in the face with wasp spray. He also reportedly sprayed Roberts’ dog.
The two men had an ongoing feud with each other, according to several documents police found in Karacsonyi’s house and a lengthy record of calling the police on each other.
This reportedly included allegations of racism, candalisn, threatening notes, slashing car tires, and poisoning.
Roberts told police that he saw Karacsonyi move his finger across his neck in what seemed like a threatening gesture the morning of the shooting. When Roberts got home, he opened his door to investigate his dog’s barking and saw Karacsonyi standing at his mailbox.
With a firearm in his pocket, Roberts ran to the street. Karacsonyi then sprayed him in the face with wasp spray. Roberts thought the spray was a deadly poison, although it did not prove to be so.
Karacsonyi then allegedly stood over Roberts and said “I’ve got you now, [expletive deleted].”
The combination of the spray and the threatening words had Roberts in fear for his life, and he shot Karacsonyi once, killing him.
Police reportedly found a can of wasp spray in front of Karacsonyi’s house and a kitchen knife near Robert’s mailbox.
Assistant State Attorney Brian Workman reportedly wrote that Roberts acted in self-defense, and that if the appearance of danger is sufficiently substantial that a prudent person would believe that the only way to avoid it was through deadly force, the use of that force is justified.
“Roberts’ defense would involve very thorough development of everything Karacsonyi has ever said or done that has been threatening or otherwise shows him to have been dangerous,” Workman wrote.
“Roberts has already alleged he is aware of considerable prior bad acts by Karacsonyi and that his knowledge contributed to his mental state at the time of the killing.”
