Man Kills Neighbor Because ‘He Thought He Was A Democrat’

A man reportedly shot his neighbor to death in southwest Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 5 because he thought he was a Democrat.

The accused man, identified as 26-year-old Austin Gene Combs, reportedly went over to his 43-year-old neighbor Anthony Lee King's house several times on Saturday, Nov. 5, and confronted him because he thought he was a Democrat. King and his wife were reportedly cutting grass and doing yardwork in their Okeana, Ohio backyard when Combs confronted them several times, Daily News reported.

According to the victim's wife, Combs had approached the victim four times and made statements before pulling out his revolver gun and opening fire at the victim. The killing reportedly occurred when King’s wife came indoors to let the dog come inside. She then reportedly heard gunshots. Hearing the sound of the gunshots, she rushed out and saw Combs walking away as her husband lay dead.

Following this, the victim’s son called the police officers to report that their 26-year-old neighbor had shot his father.

“My neighbor just shot my dad,” the victim's son told the dispatchers.

“He’s insane,” the son added.

“I look in the backyard and that man is walking away from my husband, and my husband is on the ground,” the victim's mother said.

“He has come over like four times confronting my husband because he thought he was a Democrat. Why, why … Please, I don’t understand.”

When questioned by investigating officers, Combs confessed to shooting King several times with the revolver. Following his confession, Combs was booked on a murder charge and is being held on a $950,000 bond in the Butler County Jail, Yahoo News reported.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a man killed his neighbor out of anger after the victim played loud music outside his house in the Malwani area of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India on Dec. 8, 2021, as previously reported.

On Dec. 8, 2021, the accused, identified as Saif Ali Chand Ali Sheikh, 25, reportedly felt irritated and disturbed after his neighbor Surendra Kumar Gunnar sat outside his shanty house and loudly played a series of songs on a recorder.

Despite Sheikh asking Gunnar to lower his volume, the suspect allegedly refused to do so. This enraged Sheikh and, in a fit of rage, he thrashed Gunnar and shoved him to the ground. Gunnar started bleeding profusely after the fall and became unconscious. Although Gunnar was reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital for immediate treatment, doctors declared him dead upon arrival at the facility.

Following the incident, officers arrested Sheikh and charged him under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (murder) and other relevant provisions.