CRYSTAL RIVER, FL – Early on Saturday morning, Citrus County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) deputies responded to a shooting at Norton’s Riverside Bar and Grill in downtown Crystal River.
Around 1:25 AM, deputies found Edward James Bennis, a 26-year-old man, in the parking lot with several gunshot wounds.
According to witnesses, Gabriel Hugh Trainor, 24, had an altercation inside the bar, which continued outside. Bennis, an employee at Norton’s, was shot multiple times by Trainor after attempting to intervene. Bennis was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sheriff Mike Prendergast expressed his condolences to Bennis’s family and emphasized the seriousness of the incident. Trainor, who endangered others with his actions, is now in custody. He was arrested for Second-Degree Murder at the CCSO Emergency Operations Center and is being held without bond at the Citrus County Detention Facility.
The CCSO, working with the Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, is committed to ensuring justice in this case. They ask anyone with further information to come forward.
