Tow Truck Driver Fatally Shoots Vehicle Owner During Confrontation Over Repo

Fort Lauderdale, FL – A tow truck driver attempting to repossess a car fatally shot the vehicle’s owner during a confrontation on Wednesday.

The incident occurred in the 100-block of Carolina Avenue at approximately 10 a.m. on Sept. 21, WPLG reported.

According to a neighbor, 38-year-old Clarence King was visiting his girlfriend and young daughter when the unidentified tow truck driver showed up to repossess his vehicle, WTVJ reported.

King ran outside to confront the driver, at which point an altercation broke out, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD) said.

The tow truck driver ultimately shot King, who collapsed to the pavement beside his vehicle, WPLG reported.

A portion of the incident was captured by a security camera, police said.

“Sounded like four shots – pop, pop, pop,” one witness told the news outlet.

“When I came out, the guy was already on the ground and the tow (truck) driver was just standing over his body on his cellphone,” another witness said.

Another neighbor, Robert Sowell, told WTVJ that he saw King’s little girl standing alone next to her father’s car.

Police said the tow truck driver immediately called 911 for an ambulance, but that his phone kept breaking up, WPLG reported.

“I need police right now!” the frantic man said, according to WTVJ. “I need an ambulance right now!”

A woman called 911 a moment later and identified herself as the tow truck driver’s wife, WPLG reported.

“I do not have an exact address,” she said. “My husband keeps trying to call you guys but for whatever reason his phone keeps on freezing. He’s working. He works in a tow truck.”

Police responded to the scene and found King lying dead near his car, WFLA reported.

The FLPD said the tow truck driver has been cooperating with investigators and that he was taken in for questioning, according to WPLG.

The Broward State Attorney’s Office will determine whether he will face charges, WTVJ reported.

King’s mother told the news outlet that her son was not an aggressive person and she has demanded “justice” for his death.

“You gonna shoot my son down like that? It’s not gonna happen,” Shirley Horsford King told WTVJ. “That’s a coward. He’s a punk.”

“He have a family,” she added, referring to her son. “He have a young child…that little child saw her father get gunned down!”

Shirley Horsford King vowed that her family is “going to go further” in their demands for justice, WTVJ reported.

“I’m not going to let that go,” she said.