The shooting took place at the Vets Army Navy Surplus Store in Lakeland, which is owned by City Commissioner Michael Dunn. The man killed following an altercation inside the store was 50-year-old Cristobal Lopez.

LAKELAND — City Commissioner Michael Dunn shot and killed a man Wednesday afternoon after an altercation inside the Vets Army Navy Surplus Store, which Dunn co-owns, the Lakeland Police Department reported.

LPD spokesman Gary Gross said the department received a call at 2:32 p.m. that there had been a shooting at the store at 819 N. Florida Ave. An officer arrived and found 50-year-old Cristobal Lopez lying face up in the parking lot just outside the front door with gunshot wounds. He was declared dead shortly after medical professionals arrived.

According to witness statements, Lopez's father was making a purchase at the store when Dunn saw Lopez stealing a hatchet. As Lopez tried to leave, Dunn asked Lopez if he was going to pay for the hatchet, and a confrontation ensued that ended when Dunn shot Lopez.

Gross said Dunn fired the "one shot that we know of."

Police interviewed Lopez's father, Dunn and two store employees who were working at the time.

Dunn responded to a text from The Ledger that he was “OK” Wednesday as Lakeland police detectives, crime scene technicians, officials with the State Attorney’s Office and the Medical Examiner’s Office worked in the parking lot of the store, which sells surplus military equipment, military memorabilia and guns. He offered no other comment. Dunn could not otherwise be reached for comment.

Dunn has been a member of the city's seven-member governing board since January.

Lakeland Police Chief Larry Giddens said in a text message the detectives “are working closely with our partners at the State Attorney's Office, who are conducting a parallel investigation of this incident. Additionally, the Medical Examiner's Office will be involved. I have the utmost confidence in all of the professionals involved in this investigation.”

Giddens and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said it is typical for State Attorney’s Office investigators and a medical examiner to work alongside a law enforcement agency’s homicide team at a shooting scene.

“There would be three independent investigations (for) every one,” Judd said. “That creates what we want here as a checks-and-balance system.”

Judd said he has known Dunn for many years and described him as “level-headed” and a “good guy.”

Mayor Bill Mutz said he is confident the LPD will do what is appropriate.

“City Manager Tony Delgado and Police Chief Larry Giddens will pursue the right course along with (State Attorney) Brian Haas’ direction,” Mutz said.

Dunn has been a vocal supporter of broad gun-ownership rights. In July, he hosted a gathering at his store as a counter to an event the same day in support of stricter gun-control laws. The gun-control event was held by March for Our Lives, an advocacy group started by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students in Parkland.

The "Rally for Our Rights" at the store drew about two dozen people, including three Republican politicians: state Rep. Ross Spano, state Rep. Sam Killebrew and Mike McCalister, who was seeking his bid for his party's nomination to become commissioner of agriculture at the time.

Wednesday's incident was the second time Dunn has shot someone.

When he was 19, Dunn was practicing aiming a 9mm pistol inside his McKay Street home, according to a Ledger article written in 2000 when he was running for Polk County Commission.

Dunn said at the time he thought the gun was unloaded, but it wasn't.

A Lakeland police report, quoting a witness, said Dunn was "pretending he had the weapon in a holster drawing it forward toward the fireplace" when it went off.

A hollow-point bullet went out the front door of Dunn's home, through his porch screen, down an alley and through the driver's seat of Robert Hilton's Nissan Sentra and into his elbow.

Hilton told The Ledger at the time that he wasn't sure if somebody was shooting at him but he didn't want to wait around to find out.

Police called that shooting accidental and cleared Dunn of any wrongdoing.

Kimberly C. Moore can be reached at kmoore@theledger.com or 863-802-7514. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. Ledger writer John Chambliss contributed to this report.