Ohio Man Shoots Neighbor Because “He Thought He Was a Democrat”
This is beyond horrifying.
Trigger Warning: This story involves gun violence and death.
In Ohio, a man by the name of Austin Combs, 26 years old, has been indicted for the deadly shooting of his neighbor. The reason for the shooting? He apparently thought his neighbor was a Democrat.
This took place in Okeana on Saturday, November 5th. The victim, 43-year-old Anthony King, was in his own yard when Combs, allegedly, walked up to him and shot him several times.
His family heard the shots and called 911 immediately. They found King in the yard bleeding and unresponsive, according to journal-news.com. King's wife had just been in the yard with him when she went inside their residence to let their dog out. That's when she heard the shots.
King's son, who is not named, was the one to call 911. He told dispatchers that the neighbor had come over multiple times making "statements." Allegedly, those statements were in regard to an assumed political affiliation.
On the 911 call, which I will not link here, King's wife, also not named, can be heard saying,
I look in the backyard and that man is walking away from my husband, and my husband is on the ground. He has come over like four times confronting my husband because he thought he was a Democrat. Why, why … Please, I don’t understand.
Combs was arrested and taken to Butler County Jail where a $950,000 bond was set. However, that bond has not been paid and as of today, November 11, Combs remains in jail. Yesterday, Comb was indicted by a Butler County grand jury for aggravated murder. You can read more here.
My heart sincerely goes out to this family. I cannot imagine the devastation and utter confusion they must be experiencing right now. To have someone taken away because of an assumed political affiliation...there are no words that can make sense of it or provide comfort or relief. I am so sorry.
Currently, Ohio Senate Bill (S.B.) No. 215, which was signed into law in June of 2022, permits a qualifying adult to legally carry, possess, or conceal a handgun without a license, background check, or training requirements. Read more here.