Note: This story was updated at 10:45 a.m. Nov. 26.
An argument between neighbors ended with a fatal shooting in Rocky Top on Saturday morning, and one man has been charged with criminal homicide, according to Anderson County court records.
The shooting was reported just before 8 a.m. Saturday on Willow Lane in Rocky Top (the former Lake City).
An arrest warrant filed after the shooting said the man charged with criminal homicide, George Michael Patterson, 64, had been arguing with his neighbor, David Ray Roach Jr., 43, in front of Patterson’s home. Roach was initially in his vehicle during the argument, parked in the roadway, the warrant said.
But at some point during the argument, Roach got out of his vehicle, according to the warrant, which was filed in Anderson County General Sessions Court in Oak Ridge by Special Agent Maria Cutshaw of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation in Knoxville.
“The defendant (Patterson) stated that he fired his 9mm handgun and aimed at the ground between Roach’s legs,” the warrant said. “The defendant was then struck in the leg by a Sprite can that was thrown by Roach. The defendant then fired his weapon several more times, striking Roach. Roach died as a result of the gunshot wounds.”
The Rocky Top Police Department found Roach outside of the home with gunshot wounds, according to the TBI. Roach was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The neighbors had had a long feud, according to WVLT-TV in Knoxville, which talked to Felicia Adkins, Roach’s fianceé.
Adkins told the television station that she and Roach were in their pickup trying to leave their house on Saturday when Patterson, who was outside, got into an argument with Roach. After pulling his gun, Patterson fired at least four shots, Adkins said.
Patterson was arrested after the shooting on Saturday, and he remained jailed in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Monday. His bond has been set at $250,000. He has a court date set for December 3 in Oak Ridge.
Anderson County District Attorney General Dave Clark said he assigned the investigation of the shooting to the TBI after consulting with Rocky Top Police Chief Jim Shetterly. TBI investigated the shooting with help from the Rocky Top Police Department and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force in Anderson County.
Criminal homicide is a Class A felony in Tennessee.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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