SUMMERFIELD, FLORIDA – Last month, Richard McCloskey shot and killed his stepson, James Crawford, inside their Summerfield residence. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office reviewed the case and ultimately decided not to file charges against McCloskey.
Assistant State Attorney Rich Buxman, in a memo explaining his decision, noted that McCloskey claimed his stepson had committed acts of violence against him in the past and that these prior acts were admissible to explain the reasonableness of McCloskey’s actions. Buxman also cited McCloskey’s age, 70, as a factor in the filing decision.
According to Buxman’s memo, deputies were called on Dec. 19 to a home in the 11200 block of Southeast 170th Lane. A family member had called 911 and told a dispatcher that McCloskey was involved in an altercation at the home and shot his stepson. Deputies detained McCloskey, who had blood on his shirt and hands and smelled of alcohol. Inside the home, they found Crawford’s body, and a shell casing was discovered near the body.
Detectives interviewed McCloskey, who stated that Crawford had been physically violent with him in the past. McCloskey claimed that Crawford got angry during a conversation about his job search and approached him with a threatening look, at which point McCloskey shot him to prevent himself from being harmed.
The report from the Medical Examiner’s Office stated that Crawford was shot in the left upper arm, and the bullet struck a bone and an artery in the armpit, causing his death. The prosecutor wrote in his memo that McCloskey was in his own home and had no legal duty to retreat before using deadly force.
In 2023, there were 22 homicides in Marion County, with 17 of those resulting from gun violence. Additionally, there were seven domestic violence killings countywide in 2023. The year before, there were four domestic violence deaths.
The prosecutor ultimately concluded that the state was unable to disprove that the shooting was done in self-defense, therefore leading to the decision not to file criminal charges against McCloskey.