Electrician Kills 3 Coworkers After Argument With Supervisor At Work: Police

A 39-year-old electrician beat three coworkers to death after an alleged argument with his boss in Polk County, Florida, police said.

On Friday, Shaun Runyon allegedly argued with his supervisor at a job site and punched his boss before fleeing, the New York Post reported, citing Polk County authorities.

Runyon worked for a Pennsylvania-based electric company but was in Davenport in Polk Couty to help build a new grocery store. He was staying in a rented house in the Windsor Island community with several colleagues while they were working in town, police said.

Following his alleged altercation with his supervisor, Runyon turned up at the house where he was staying with a baseball bat and a knife Saturday morning, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. Runyon beat one person to death as they slept.

"What we found out was Shaun returned to the neighborhood, went into the house with a baseball bat and a knife, and he stabbed and beat people inside the residence," the sheriff said Saturday.

The sheriff said there were seven people inside the home. A second victim was found dead on a porch, Judd said. A third critically wounded person died later Saturday, police said.

A fourth victim was hit by Runyon with the bat but was expected to be OK. Another man escaped unharmed with his wife and 7-year-old daughter, according to the sheriff.

Runyon fled the scene. He turned up at a Lake Wales, Florida, home two hours later with blood on his clothes and told people there he had been raped. After discarding his bloody clothes, the homeowners urged him to go to the hospital, where Runyon was taken into custody.

Runyon, who knew every person in the home where the beatings happened, confessed to the crimes, Judd said. He has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

"We have no idea what outraged him so bad that more than 24 hours later that he would come back and make an attempt to kill every one of them," Judd told the media.

The investigation is ongoing.

It was not the first time that Runyon had been arrested. His history included out-of-state charges of strangulation, endangering the welfare of a child, terroristic threats, DUI and more.