TAMPA, Fla. — A west-central Florida man is accused of fatally shooting a man who was going to be his next-door neighbor after backing his U-Haul into a townhouse balcony, authorities said.
According to Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office online booking records, Christian Gage Freebourn, 28, of Lithia, was arrested on June 21 on a charge of second-degree murder.
Freebourn is accused of fatally shooting Herbert Harris, 57, of Lithia, outside his home in the Kinglet Ridge community of Lithia, located 22 miles east of downtown Tampa, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
According to Hillsborough County online court records, Freebourn claimed he shot Harris in self-defense, adding that his new neighbor had approached him with a gun. He made his first appearance in court on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charge, records show.
Deputies with the sheriff’s office responded to a shooting at about 9:40 p.m. on May 10, the Timesreported. Offiicals arriving …