Police identify man killed during attempted carjacking outside Sanford bar

SANFORD, Fla. — Police said a deadly shooting outside a Sanford bar started as an attempted carjacking.

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The Sanford Police Department said they were called to George’s Tavern on French Avenue just before 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

They said shots rang out when a man tried to steal an employee’s car.

Sanford Police officers and crime scene investigators scoured the back parking lot of George’s Tavern after being called to the scene of the early morning shooting.

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Evidence markers lined the ground as crews worked to piece the case together.

Johnny Thompson said he believes things have been getting bad around town. Neighbors heard gunshots ring out just after two in the morning.

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“I was in bed, I got up, came out here, and (saw) all the cops surrounding,” Anton Grooms said.

When police arrived, they found a man who was shot to death in the parking lot.

This afternoon, police told Channel 9 that the man had jumped out of a port-a-potty on the back of the property and tried to carjack a female employee as she was leaving work.

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But her boyfriend was waiting in the parking lot for her and was armed.

Police said he pulled his gun out from his waistband and opened fire, shooting the suspect to death.

Right now, police are not pursuing any charges against the shooter.

They identified the would-be carjacker Friday as 35-year-old Edward Alexander Barfield.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-8477.

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