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East Lake man, former cop, arrested in fatal shooting at Oldsmar bar

 
Brian Mytych, 43, of Tarpon Springs, is in custody after deputies say he fatally shot a cook who was working at an Oldsmar bar on Feb. 15, 2016, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Mytych is shown during a Feb. 6 arrest following an altercation with David Brown, 33, the victim in the shooting. [Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]
Brian Mytych, 43, of Tarpon Springs, is in custody after deputies say he fatally shot a cook who was working at an Oldsmar bar on Feb. 15, 2016, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Mytych is shown during a Feb. 6 arrest following an altercation with David Brown, 33, the victim in the shooting. [Pinellas County Sheriff's Office]
Published Feb. 15, 2017

OLDSMAR — An East Lake man who is a former Michigan police officer shot to death a cook working at an Oldsmar bar and restaurant early Wednesday, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

David Brown, 33, of Oldsmar, was shot several times by Brian Mytych, 43, about 1 a.m. at Hennessy's Bar & Grille, 127 Forest Lakes Blvd., the Sheriff's Office said.

The shooting stemmed from a fight at the bar between the two on Feb. 6 that started after Mytych made racial slurs toward musicians performing there, according to deputies. Mytych, who is white, was arrested on a disorderly intoxication charge and banned from the business. His arrest report doesn't mention the race of the musicians.

Witnesses say Mytych entered Hennessy's on Wednesday morning and was told to leave. He did but returned a short time later with a .45-caliber handgun and shot Brown, who is white, the Sheriff's Office said.

Brown died at the scene. Mytych faces a charge of first-degree murder, deputies said.

Deputies say Mytych told patrons to leave, alerted law enforcement and stayed at the scene until deputies arrived.

Mytych worked as a police officer for 13 years at a department in the west Detroit suburb of Westland. He left the job about two years ago because of an off-duty medical issue, according to a statement from the department. Before that, he worked for the Detroit Police Department for five years, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The issue prevented him from performing his duties as an officer, leading the department to terminate his employment about three months ago, the statement said.

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