Disgruntled customer, Stout’s Auto owner killed in shootout over 2021 service discrepancy, police say
LARGO, Fla. - Police say a 2021 auto repair issue may be at the heart of a shooting that left two people dead on Wednesday.
According to the Largo Police Department, 78-year-old Eugene Frank Becker drove to Stout’s Automotive in a rental car shortly before 11:30 a.m. and asked to speak with the owner, Jodie Stout.
After he confirmed that he was speaking with Stout, police say Becker pulled out a gun and fired it at Stout.
That’s when, according to police, Stout grabbed his gun and returned fire at Becker.
Aerial view of a shooting scene at a Largo auto repair store.
Detectives say Becker’s family told them that he had gone to Stout’s Automotive in 2021 with the vehicle he owned at the time and was not happy with the service he received. They told detectives that he felt he had been overcharged.
Police say Becker was in a vehicle crash in Pinellas Park on September 18, 2023, and his current vehicle was a total loss.
According to LPD, a family member said Becker had been depressed and extremely frustrated since the crash.
Aerial view of Stout's Automotive were two people were killed in a shootout on Wednesday.
Police say, based on the totality of the circumstances, it appears as though Becker responded to Stout's Automotive with the intent to shoot the victim in retaliation for the perceived wrong from 2021.
Both Becker and Stout died in the shooting.