Florida man shot his roommate with air rifle, killing him, because he was 'annoyed' with him | affidavit

ALTOONA, Fla. - A Florida man who was arrested for shooting and killing his roommate allegedly did it because he was "annoyed" with him, according to the arrest affidavit.

Jesse Hill, 42, was arrested by Lake County deputies on Friday, July 8, under suspicion of manslaughter.

According to the police report, Hill made two "cryptic" phone calls to 911 on May 4. When deputies responded to the residents, they found Ernie Wilbur dead on the living room floor wrapped in a sheet and covered with pillows. Wilbur and Hill were roommates.

Deputies found a Ruger .22 caliber high-velocity air rifle on the side of the house, according to the report. An autopsy found a pellet-style bullet had punctured Wilburn's lungs and formed a blood clot.

Hill was not arrested the night of the investigation and, according to the affidavit, ran away and went into hiding to avoid being arrested.

Deputies interviewed his girlfriend who told them that she and Hill had locked the roommate out of the house. Wilburn did not have a key and reportedly began yelling.

That's when Hill shot Wilburn through the bedroom window, Hill's girlfriend told deputies, because he was "annoyed" with him.

While on the run, Hill reportedly told people that he did not think the pellet would kill his roommate, but intended to scare him, according to the report.

The property manager told deputies that he had scolded Hill for shooting the gun previously inside the home.