Father Fatally Shot After Argument That Reportedly Began Over Mulch, Police Say

A Michigan man is accused of fatally shooting a neighbor after a dispute that reportedly began about mulch on Saturday.
The incident began when Devereaux Christopher Johnson, 47, started an argument with Nathan Morris, 35, who was shot while taking a walk with his family in their Canton, Michigan, neighborhood, Wayne County prosecutors announced. Johnson allegedly then pulled out a handgun and fired multiple rounds.
Police officials told WXYZ-TV in Detroit that detectives are still trying to work out the details but believe the argument began over wood chips.
Morris reportedly then sent his wife and two daughters home as he stayed at Johnson’s property to try to calm things down, but he was then shot, according to a fundraiser page launched by a family friend.
Officers who responded to the scene reported that they found Morris lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds, according to prosecutors. He was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.
Police reported that Johnson was taken into custody after barricading himself inside his home, according to WXYZ. He was charged Monday with murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“This was a senseless act of violence toward the victim,” Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh said in a statement shared with WJBK-TV in Detroit. “The Canton Police Department sends our deepest condolences to the victim’s family, and to the neighbors who may have witnessed this tragic event.”
Edward McCall, the friend who started the fundraiser, told WXYZ in an interview that Morris was an engineer who specialized in laser technology and that he once ran for the school board.
“It was pretty surreal for all of us, kind of numb and shocked and emotional at different times,” McCall said. “He was a great man, a real gentleman, a real father figure, and I’m just kind of sorting through the kind of loss this represents for his family.”
Hima Kolanagireddy, who signed a post on the Michigan GOP’s account on X, described Morris as a Ford Motors engineer and a friend she had worked with closely when he sought a school board seat. The local Republican Party official called him “an amazing and gentle soul. He will be missed dearly.”
Neighbors told WXYZ that Johnson had previously been combative with his neighbors, and one man said he believed Johnson had been acting erratically recently.
At a court hearing, Johnson’s attorney asked for a determination of competency to stand trial. The attorney did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Data cited by the nonprofit group Everytown for Gun Safety shows that an average of 597 people in Michigan die by gun-related homicides each year, making it the 18th-highest rate of gun homicide deaths in the U.S. The group also cited findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that gun violence costs the state $16.8 billion each year, of which $380.5 million is paid by taxpayers.
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