Dispute over 4-wheeler leads to one brother shooting the other dead, Florida cops say

A man was upset that his brother wouldn’t let him borrow a four-wheeler, but when he went to confront him, he ended up shot dead, Florida authorities said.

Samuel Rivera, 32, died in the shooting on March 25, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The shooter was his 41-year-old brother, who told deputies he shot Rivera in self-defense.

The dispute began at a party the day before on Sunday, March 24, investigators said. Rivera wanted to borrow a family member’s four-wheel vehicle, but his brother denied him, “due to the fact that Samuel (Rivera) previously battered the owner of the four-wheeler back in June 2023,” deputies said.

After the incident, Rivera told family members he was still upset with his brother and threatened him and another family member, saying he was going to beat his brother up, according to investigators.

Samuel Rivera went to his brother’s work at a harvesting business early on Monday morning and waited for him to arrive, deputies said. When he did, Rivera “immediately and violently confronted” his brother and began to attack him, according to deputies.

Witnesses told investigators that his brother kept his hands in his pockets as Rivera punched him.

As the beating continued, the brother went to his truck and got out a handgun, deputies said. The two began fighting over the gun, and during the struggle, Rivera was shot in the foot, according to deputies.

He charged his brother again after that, then his brother shot him two more times, investigators said.

He called 911 to report he had shot his brother, and Rivera died of his injuries at a hospital.

Jail records show the older brother has not been arrested.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said preliminary investigation showed that Rivera, a “convicted felon, through his own actions, created such an element of fear that the victim was forced to protect himself with a firearm.”

The investigation is ongoing.

Polk County is in central Florida, about a 65-mile drive southwest of Orlando.

This story was originally published March 27, 2024 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Dispute over 4-wheeler leads to one brother shooting the other dead, Florida cops say."