Father shot dead by neighbor in argument over daughter touching ‘mulch’ on property

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday

Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

A man in Canton Township, Michigan, allegedly shot and killed his neighbor because the man's daughter touched his mulch.

Nathan Morris, 35, was killed just before noon on Saturday.

"On Saturday, while taking a stroll with his family in his neighborhood, his daughter touched the mulch of one of the neighbors," according to the Michigan GOP in a statement by RNC National committeewoman Hima Kolanagireddy. "The neighbor took a gun out and started threatening the family. Nathan sent his family home and said that he would try and diffuse the situation, but instead was shot and killed."

According to the state GOP, Morris — who worked as an engineer at the Ford Motor Company — "got involved in politics when Ford mandated Covid-19 vaccines," and ran for the Canton School Board "to make schools safe for his daughters."

Morris served as the secretary for the 6th Congressional District Republican Committee, according to the Michigan GOP.

Police were called out to respond to the altercation between neighbors, and found Morris lying in the street with a gunshot wound. First responders transported Morris to a hospital, where he later died.

While police were treating Morris, Devereaux Christopher Johnson, 47, the suspect, barricaded himself in his home. He eventually surrendered to police without further incident.

Johnson was taken into custody and was arraigned on Monday. He has been charged with first-degree murder, and has entered a not guilty plea. Johnson is currently being held without bond.

During his arraignment, the presiding judge requested a competency exam to determine the state of Johnson's mental health.

"This was a senseless act of violence toward the victim," Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh said during a press conference after the shooting. "The Canton Police Department sends our deepest condolences to the victim's family, and to the neighbors who may have witnessed this tragic event."

A friend of Morris, Edward McCall, told Fox 2 Detroit that the shooting was "monstrous."

"The triviality of it is just completely shocking to me. I've seen the movies. I've heard the songs over the years, decades of just people being killed for trivial reasons, and this is the bottom of the bottom for me," he said.

McCall has organized an online fundraiser for the family that has already gathered more than $38,000 in donations. St Michael Lutheran Church of Canton, where Morris and his family attend, has also organized to help the family in the wake of the shooting.

"The outpouring of generosity of the campaign has been far beyond our expectations. We set a goal of $25,000 as a reach goal, and the community has responded overwhelmingly and smashed through it on the 12th of August," McCall wrote on the fundraiser, noting that the goal was raised to $50,000 after reaching its first goal. "This fund remains a result of your generosity, and all of the money, less the standard GiveSendGo fees, will go to the family."