Neighbors of a Fort Meyers man who was killed while driving home are concerned his death may have been a random act of violence.
The quiet fort Myers community where 43-year-old Friedrich "Fritz" Dirk Timmermann lived with his mother has been rattled by his unexpected death Monday night.
"It's good neighbors and right here is a good neighborhood, and something happened that happens everyday, everywhere but I was surprised that it was him," said Jario Benabeids, Timmerman's neighbor of five years.
Another neighbor who didn't want her identity revealed says she heard when Timmerman crashed his vehicle into a wall along Summerlin Road and Maple Drive, just across the street from where he lived.
"I heard a big sound around 9:30 p.m it sounded like a car was crashing into another car in this parking lot here. It was just scary," said Emily. "I didn't know what happened."
Timmerman, known by neighbors as Fritz, was just one traffic light away from the home he shared with his mother when deputies say he suffered a fatal wound, before crashing his car into a wall.
"Absolutely shocked," said his next door neighbor of 4 years. She did not want to be identified, but told Fox 4 Timmerman was a very kind person. "He's an awesome guy, helped anybody."
She says Fritz's death has cast a dark shadow over their tight knit community, which now fears he was killed at random.
"It really concerns me that this was just a random act of violence whether they were shooting at anybody or what exactly the case was. I couldn't imagine it could have anything to involve him, knowing him personally."
Fox 4 went to the Lee County Sheriff's office to get more information about exactly what happened Monday night. Deputies say they were unable to comment because this is an ongoing investigation.
While authorities continue to piece together just how this tragedy unfolded, residents are left with a number of questions and a shattered sense of security.
"I'm concerned to a certain extent, because you never know what can happen," said Emily.
