A neighborhood dispute over a dog running into a neighbor’s yard turned deadly on Friday in Liberty County.
On April 15, 70-year-old Eric Lee Elliott allegedly fatally shot his neighbor William Duncan Womack, 60, after threatening to kill his dog.
Womack’s dog went into Elliott’s yard as Elliott was doing yard work around 2:45 p.m. on County Road 2683, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO). Womack’s stepdaughter had tracked the dog to Elliott’s yard, where Elliott allegedly threatened to kill the dog.
Womack went out into the street to confront his neighbor after his stepdaughter informed him that Elliott had threatened the dog.
According to a news statement from the LCSO, when Elliott saw Womack on the street, he allegedly kicked him in the leg and then grabbed a .45 caliber handgun from his waistband and shot Womack once in the stomach.
Witnesses say Elliott stowed his revolver in his truck and went back to work on his yard while Womack’s wife and stepdaughter called for help.
Womack was airlifted to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Elliott was arrested at the scene and transported to the Liberty County Jail. He is charged with murder and held on a $1 million bond.