RUSKIN, Fla. — Deputies say a 48-year-old man was arrested on Sunday after he was involved in a fight in Ruskin that left another man dead hours later.
A man was found on the ground of a Chevron gas station parking lot on U.S. Highway 41 with an apparent injury to the back of his head on Sept. 27., the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.
The man was taken to Tampa General Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, authorities say.
Detectives say throughout an investigation, they were able to discover that Rodolfo Regino Jr. and the other man showed up at the gas station in different cars. After the two finished talking in the parking lot, Regino walked up to the man and punched him once in the face, causing the man to fall backward onto the pavement.
The 48-year-old reportedly then walked back to his car and drove away from the gas station.
According to an autopsy report, the cause of the death for the man punched was ruled as a homicide due to a blunt impact to his head.
"It's sad to see the loss of a person solely because emotions were not kept in check," Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement. "The suspect admitted to our investigators that he knew the victim, had known him for years, and had always had issues and fights with him in the past."
Deputies arrested Regino and he now faces several charges, including manslaughter, the news release said.