Grady Judd, the sheriff of Polk County, Fla., said that Tony Wiggins, 26, shot and killed the three friends after he ran into one of them, Damion Tillman, in a Dollar General store.
Mr. Wiggins then told his brother to drive him and his girlfriend to a dirt road near a lake, where he had heard that Mr. Tillman planned to meet a friend, Keven Springfield, to fish, the sheriff said.
There, Mr. Wiggins punched Mr. Springfield and accused him of selling the engine from his truck, Sheriff Judd said.
After Mr. Springfield said he didn’t know what Mr. Wiggins was talking about, Mr. Wiggins shot and killed Mr. Springfield, 30, and Brandon Rollins, 27. They were shot nine to 10 times altogether, Sheriff Judd said.
Mr. Wiggins then turned and fatally shot Mr. Tillman, 23, who had been screaming at Mr. Wiggins to put the gun down, Sheriff Judd said.
The killings last Friday shocked Frostproof, Fla., a city of 3,200 people about 70 miles south of Orlando.