An 84-year-old Largo man was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries after police say a neighbor showed up at his home, threw a liquid in his face and then beat him with a hammer.
Largo police say the 55-year-old suspect attacked the older man at the victim’s Largo residence, first dousing his face with a liquid and then striking him with a hammer. The victim suffered injuries to his eyes, arms and head and was hospitalized for treatment. According to investigators, the suspect later told officers that God, whom he referred to as his “father,” had ordered him to kill the man.
According to Tampa Bay 28, Largo Police identified the suspect as 55-year-old Brian Rye of Largo and charged him with attempted first-degree murder along with several other felonies. An arrest affidavit cited in the report says Rye went to the victim’s home, knocked on the door, threw liquid into the man’s face to blind him, then grabbed a hammer from a toolbox and attacked. The document describes the victim as having “significant clear bloody injuries” to his eyes, arms and head…