Neighbors' dispute leads to shooting death, investigators say

A neighborhood dispute ended in gunfire Wednesday, and one man was killed, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said.

It happened at the Riviera Mobile Home Park at 29141 U.S. Highway 19 North.

Deputies arrived at the scene around 12:30 p.m., and found 46-year-old Keith Lewandowski dead from a gunshot wound.

Deputies arrested 65-year old Bruce Schunk, who lives across the street from Lewandowski.

Investigators said there was a history of trouble between Lewandowski and the Schunk. They said Schunk entered Lewandowski's home with a gun and threatened to shoot Lewandowski's wife.

"It appeared the husband stepped in the way and took a bullet for his wife," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri .

The suspect then returned to his mobile home where he was arrested, and the gun was recovered.

There's no word yet on any charges.

FOX 13's Deborah Bowden spoke with the victim's wife.

"He just walked in and said 'I gotcha'," Sandy Lewandowski described. Lewandowski says her neighbor had caused trouble before, but this time he was out to kill.

"All I could see was the gun. He pointed the gun and I could see a red light. All of the sudden my husband was at my feet," Lewandowski said.

She says Schunk had it in for her husband, but when he barged into their home this afternoon, he aimed the gun at her.

"He walked in and said that he'd had enough and this is it.  At that point, Sandy Lewandowsky made the comment that she was going to call 911," said Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.

"My husband told me to get down because he had the gun pointed to me and my husband stood in front of me and he took the bullet," Lewandowski said.

Detectives say Schunk killed her husband, Keith, with a single shot, then went back home. Investigators say they found him there, along with the gun, and arrested him on first-degree murder charges.

The Lewandowskis live right across from Schunk and neighbors say the feuding here has gone on for years.

"My husband knew somehow, some way he'd be dead, because he told me one of these days I'm gonna get a bullet in my head by him," Lewandowski said.

Neighbors say Schunk liked to drink and fire his gun up into the air. Sandy says she complained about it to park managers, but he didn't stop. She says it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt.

"I can't understand it. I just lost a husband and he did it for me. I still can't understand why," she says.

Schunk is being hled in the Pinellas County Jail without bond. He makes his first appearance in front of a judge Thursday afternoon.