An Alabama man was shot in the face during a confrontation with his neighbor who was urinating in a yard, according to law enforcement.
The fight between the two neighbors started in early Sunday morning when John Williams, 38, found his neighbor relieving himself in public. Williams then pulled his gun on the neighbor, who has not yet been named, and fired off a few shots. In response, the man accused of peeing on the property ran to his own vehicle to get his gun.
He returned fire on Williams, shooting him in the face. Williams was airlifted to Pensacola, Florida, for treatment. His injuries were not life-threatening.
“They got in a dispute because one of them was urinating in a yard, or in a street. Either one was inappropriate. That started an argument,” Mobile County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Paul Burch said, according to AL.com.
He continued, “The one who was mad about the guy peeing is the one who fired the first shots, and he got shot. It’s not life-threatening. He’s shot in the face. He walked himself to the helicopter.”
Williams’ girlfriend, Toccara Finkley, told WALA, “It escalated so fast, I really don’t know. All I know is the guy started shooting, and my boyfriend was hit. All he did was ask the guy to leave from in front of the house as the guy is urinating on the lawn, and the guy got uppity.”
Finkley claimed the neighbor’s girlfriend was also on the scene and “escalated” the tension between the two men. She said, “The girl came out, and she escalated the whole situation, and the guy proceeded to leave, and then, the guy started shooting back at my boyfriend.”
There have not yet been any charges, and Burch said the investigation would be turned over to the district attorney. He said there are no public urination laws outside city limits, where the shooting took place. Burch also noted that the shooting could be considered self-defense on behalf of the urinator, so charges may never be filed.
“He was being shot at first. This is out in the county; there wouldn’t be an ordinance about urinating in public. It’s more common decency than anything,” Burch said.