Milton Cope Jr., 56, of Silver Springs, Florida, was shot and killed on December 2, 2020, at the home of Stephen Gerhardt McKenzie. Cope, who had worked as a Certified Surgical First Assistant and later as a Medical Representative at Ocala Regional Medical Center, was shot with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver during an altercation between the two men. McKenzie told police he fired in self-defense after Cope allegedly would not stop punching him; a neighbor reported hearing a car horn and seeing McKenzie with a gun. Cope was found with a gunshot wound just above his abdomen and later died at the hospital.

Prosecutors declined to charge McKenzie, saying they could not disprove his claim that he feared for his life, but left open the possibility of revisiting the decision if new evidence surfaced. Cope’s daughter, Caitlin Cope, and the family have expressed dissatisfaction with that outcome and called the circumstances suspicious. Does anyone have information about the events at McKenzie’s home on December 2, 2020, or about witnesses who were interviewed?