Neighbor accused of shooting man in the face, Lacey police say
A man in his 30s was arrested Sunday after Lacey police say he shot his neighbor in the face.
Police were dispatched to the 5600 block of 45th Avenue Southeast about 5:45 p.m. They arrived to find a man in his 50s with a gunshot wound to his face.
Although a Lacey police news release made reference to a “disturbance between father and son,” charging documents show that the incident was between neighbors. A spokesman for Lacey police could not be reached Monday morning.
Charging documents give the following account:
After police responded to the scene, an officer found the victim as he emerged from his residence, “holding a cardboard box under his chin, bleeding from his mouth.”
The victim told police he had been shot by his neighbor with a .22 caliber pistol.
While medics treated the victim, the officer, familiar with the suspect — court records show he has an extensive criminal history — found and detained him at the scene.
The suspect accused his neighbor of stealing his songs, of being the devil and that he had put up with him for too long. He also initially said he did not shoot the man, then said he shot him in self-defense.
The suspect also said he had left the gun on the “tree of life.” Police later found the gun in a garage.
A witness at the scene said she checked on the victim, then checked on the suspect, who allegedly told her he shot the man. The witness asked why and the suspect “began to rant and rave and make religious statements.”
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 8:45 AM.
