DODGE COUNTY, Ga. — A Dodge County man's family says they're in disbelief after he was allegedly shot and killed by their elderly neighbor. The sheriff’s office says the two men argued over a fight between their dog and cat.
71-year-old Ronnie Reaves, the man who shot both the dog and victim, 48-year-old David Ussery, faces several charges including murder, malice murder, aggravated assault, and more.
Sheriff Brian Robinson says he arrested Reaves himself.
Investigator William Gordon says deputies were called out to the home and arrived to find David Ussery shot in the chest.
"He was being attended by the EMS staff in Dodge County. The victim's dogs had allegedly attacked the offender's cat, he explains.
Gordon says Ussery later died at the hospital. Robinson says Reaves seemed calm when he was arrested and sound of mind.
“He complied with all my orders,” Robinson says. “When we took him in, he didn't seem distraught. He didn't seem upset.”.
Robinson says they're still investigating, but he says Ussery was well-known in the community and had a lot of friends.
"We do have violent crimes at times, but it's not an everyday thing in Dodge County. When something like this occurs, of course, it's a tragedy,” he explains.
We visited the family home where the shooting happened on Telfair County Line Road. Cale Ussery, the victim's son, declined to speak on camera. However, he says his father, wife, and two children came home to see Reaves shooting their dog, Diesel.
Cale says the two men exchanged words and then Reaves shot David Ussery in the chest. He says their family has known Reaves for decades and doesn't know why he did this.
Cale says his father was a kind man and a good father. He says that while the cat did not make it, their dog, Diesel, is healing and is doing fine.
Robinson says that the GBI is still investigating, and he hopes that they'll wrap it up in the next coming weeks.