POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- One man is dead and another in jail for allegedly shooting him during an alcohol-related verbal dispute Wednesday night at a rural Butler County home.
An autopsy was to be performed Thursday on the dead man, whose name was being withheld, according to Butler County Coroner Jim Akers.
Arrested was 54-year-old Randy Paul Johnson.
Deputies with the Butler County Sheriff's Department responded at 11:40 p.m. to Johnson's residence on County Road 428 and found the man lying on the front porch with what appeared to be a gunshot wound the head, according to Butler County assistant chief deputy Scott Wiggs.
Deputies also reportedly learned Johnson had left the residence.
While deputies were on the scene, "another officer had contact with the suspect," Wiggs said. "He was stopped about a mile and half from the scene" and arrested.
According to witnesses, Wiggs said, the men were involved in a verbal dispute.
The victim, who is believed to be an acquaintance of Johnson's, "attempted to leave the residence to avoid further problems," Wiggs said. "That's when he was confronted by the suspect and shot."
What makes this "so odd is there was no confrontation and there was very little resistance given by the victim," said Sheriff Mark Dobbs.
It appeared, Wiggs said, that the man was shot once with a handgun.
"There was alcohol involved," said Dobbs. "There wasn't many motivating factors. As near as we can figure, alcohol was the biggest contributing factor."
Johnson was booked at the Butler County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
Officers, Dobbs said, were not able to interview Johnson following his arrest "due to his (intoxicated) condition. We're going to try to interview (him later today), but I'm not sure how successful we're going to be."
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