Photos for Headline Surfer /Top Left: Sanford PD mugshot of Andre Crist, 51, charged with homicide and attempted homicide in a double shooting on Thursday, July 21, 2022, in Sanford, Florida. Inset: Homicide victim Cliff Perard, 38, is shown from a Pic on his Facebook account. Below: A Sanford police detective on the scene.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
SANFORD, Fla. -- A 51-year-old man was arrested Thursday on homicide charges after an argument with his landlord about evicting him from the residence they both shared led to him fatally shooting the homeowner and a cousin who was in the backyard as well, Sanford cops said.
Here is a synopsis of what occurred as des tried by Sanford Police PIO Bianca Gillett in an email media alert sent to Headline Surfer:
At 10:58 a.m. Thursday, Sanford Police received a 9-1-1 call reporting a possible shooting with injuries at a residence on the 100 block of Anderson Circle. Responding officers located a male, later identified as Cliff Perard (D.O.B 10/08/1983), in the backyard of the residence dead from an apparent gunshot wound. They located a second male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds in the yard of a residence across the street. The second victim was transported to a local area hospital for treatment.
"Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that Cliff Perard was attempting to evict the suspect, Andre Crist, who was living as a tenant at the residence. An argument began in the backyard of the residence when Crist shot Perard and the second victim," Gillett said. "Crist then fled the area on foot."
"Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears that Cliff Perard was attempting to evict the suspect, Andre Crist, who was living as a tenant at the residence. An argument began in the backyard of the residence when Crist shot Perard and the second victim," Gillett said. "Crist then fled the area on foot."
A warrant was issued for the arrest of Andre Crist for first-degree murder and attempted murder and he was appended a short time later not far from the crime scene and taken into police custody without further incident.
According to police, 38-year-old Cliff Perard was found deceased with multiple gunshot wounds in the backyard of the home, and the injured man, whose name was not released, but described as the dead landlord's cousin, was found alive with multiple gunshot wounds in the yard of a home across the street.
Detectives said it appears Perard was attempting to evict Crist who was living as a tenant at the residence when an argument began and Crist shot Perard and his cousin before running away.
Witnesses told cops the homeowner's cousin, who lives across the street, walked over and was talking with the homeowner when the disgruntled renter allegedly shot them both and then fled the scene.
About the Byline Writer: Henry Frederick is a member of the working press and publisher of Headline Surfer, the award-winning 24/7 internet news outlet launched in 2008, that serves greater Daytona Beach, Sanford & Orlando from Lake Mary, Florida via HeadlineSurfer.com. Frederick has amassed close to 150 award-winning bylines in print & online. He earned his Master of Arts in New Media Journalism from Full Sail University in 2019. He was a breaking news reporter (metro cops & courts beat) for the Daytona Beach News-Journal for nearly a decade. And Before that worked the same beat for The Journal-News/Gannett Suburban Newspapers in Rockland/Westchester counties, NY, dating back to 1989. Having witnessed the execution of serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Florida's death chamber and covering other high-profile cases such as the George Zimmerman murder trial, Frederick has appeared on national crime documentary shows on Discovery ID, Reelz, and the Oxygen Network series "Snapped" for his analysis. AWJ: