Police: Florida auto shop owner, angry customer shot each other to death

LARGO, Fla. — A shooting at a Florida auto shop that killed two men was triggered by a former customer’s dissatisfaction with work done on his car two years ago, police said Thursday.

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The Largo Police Department said Eugene Frank Becker, 78, arrived at Stout’s Automotive in a rental car Wednesday and sought out business owner Jodie Stout, 52.

Investigators say Becker pulled out a handgun and shot Stout, who returned fire with his own gun, striking Becker multiple times.

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Both men later died at a hospital.

The shooting brought dozens of police officers to the scene.

Police said in an email that evidence and witnesses indicate Becker felt he was overcharged when he brought a vehicle to Stout’s for service in 2021.

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He went to the shop Wednesday “with the intent to shoot the victim in retaliation for the perceived wrong.”

Authorities said Becker had recently been in a car crash that left him depressed, according to family members.

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Largo is located just west of Tampa.

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