Just when you thought fishing was the safest sport on earth, the unthinkable happens. On the evening of Friday, July 17th, three Florida men on their way to go fishing in the Polk County area were beaten and shot to death in a gruesome attack.

A Horrific Scene

Best friends Damion Tillman, 23, Keven Springfield, 30, and Brandon Rollins, 27, had arranged to meet and go fishing at Lake Streety in Frostproof, Florida. Springfield and Rollins travelled together and, when they arrived at their destination, found Tillman being beaten by multiple attackers. When the two friends tried to intervene, the attackers opened fire.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said, “This is a horrific scene. I’ve been to a lot of murder scenes in my life, and this ranks among the worst.” Judd described the scene as a massacre. 

After the attackers left the scene, Brandon Rollins was able to call his father for help. Cyril Rollins—wakened by the call around 10 pm —raced to where he knew his son was going fishing. 

“When he arrived, he found his son Brandon barely alive, and his two friends deceased,” states a press release from the sheriff’s office. 

“I was too shocked to know what was going on.”

Cyril explains his harrowing experience: “I found my son. I was holding him, he was telling me what happened, but I was too shocked to know what was going on.” 

The details of Brandon’s final conversation with his dad are not being released at this time. By the time police arrived at the scene, he had succumbed to his injuries. 

“We are seeking leads,” says Sheriff Grady Judd. “We need help so we can solve this crime sooner rather than later because there are one or more—we suspect more—murderers that killed three people in a quiet community.”

It is speculated that the killers may have known the three victims. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with numerous agencies to issue a $30,000 reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the killers. 

Our condolences go out to the families and friends of the three victims.

For more information on this heart-wrenching story, go here.