David Harris Shafley was suffering.
At 52, his back was bad and he used a cane to walk. For years, he was forced to wear a colostomy bag, neighbors said.
His finances mirrored his health, and he took in boarders at his Port Richey home to help pay the rent. He would lament that he never seemed to get a good one, neighbors said.
Then came his arrest.
The episode three months ago seemed to some to speed an unraveling that culminated Saturday afternoon when authorities say Shafley killed himself inside a Kmart store in Hudson after being caught shoplifting.
On March 11, he had been charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest without violence. He was released from jail two days later after posting bail.
Neighbors say it actually was Shafley who had called authorities, to help with a tenant dispute at his San Moritz Drive home.
The arrest was a major blow, said neighbor Bill Naumann, 72.
"He couldn't understand why everything was happening to him," he said, recalling a recent conversation with him. "It seemed like nothing good would happen. He was in constant pain."
Before shooting himself, Shafley told the employees he was distraught and having difficulty caring for an elderly relative.
guess he was depressed.