Pensacola man charged with first-degree murder, weapon possession

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. ( WKRG ) — 61-year-old Randall Paul Laws of Pensacola was arrested and charged with first-degree premeditated murder after shooting a woman Wednesday night on Lillian Highway.

According to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, the victim and her boyfriend were standing on Laws’ property when Laws shot her from his garage.

According to Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons, Laws reportedly used a hunting rifle to fire his shot.

“Randall Laws was talking to them earlier in that day, and so he did know them and did give them permission to go into the property,” Simmons said. “But I guess when they showed back up and while they were trying to get the key to the gate, he didn’t recognize them and fired a single shot.”

The victim was alive when deputies arrived at the scene but later died in the hospital. Laws was arrested on the scene, and charged with homicide and possession of a weapon of a convicted felon.

According to the Florida Department of Corrections, Laws had previously served a 10-year sentence on gun and aggravated assault charges before he was released in 2019.

He is currently in Escambia County Jail without bond.

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