BRADLEYVILLE, Mo. (TCD) — An 80-year-old man is facing several charges, including second-degree murder, for allegedly fatally shooting his roommate during a dispute in which the victim allegedly threatened to kill the suspect.
On Nov. 2 at 7:04 p.m., Taney County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call about a male with a gunshot wound in Bradleyville and called paramedics asking for assistance to airlift the man to a hospital. When medics arrived, they declared the victim, who was identified as 52-year-old Jon Lovelace, deceased at the scene.
According to the probable cause affidavit, deputies identified Charles Tinker as the suspected shooter and detained him at the scene. Officials reportedly found a 9 mm Ruger handgun nearby.
A witness told deputies they saw Tinker shoot Lovelace in the stomach during an argument. Tinker allegedly corroborated the account because he “made unprovoked statements to law enforcement officers on scene that he shot the victim during a verbal argument.”
Tinker reportedly said Lovelace lived at the residence but failed to pay rent or pitch in for other expenses. He claimed he shot Lovelace because Lovelace “told him he was going to kill him.”
Deputies transported Tinker to a hospital for a brief confinement because he had consumed four shots of whiskey that night.
On Nov. 3, Tinker spoke with a Taney County deputy and allegedly admitted to shooting Lovelace. According to the affidavit, after Lovelace reportedly threatened to kill Tinker, Tinker retrieved a gun, “fired two shots behind a vehicle to make another individual leave from the residence and fired two additional shots at the victim.”
He allegedly claimed he intended to shoot Lovelace in the leg. He opened fire from his porch, then returned inside. The affidavit says Tinker failed to check on Lovelace or render aid.
Tinker allegedly “stated he shot the victim because he had ‘pushed my buttons’ and that’s all he was going to take.”
The tensions between the two men had reportedly been getting worse over time. The affidavit says Lovelace was not armed, nor did he fight Tinker at the time of the shooting. Tinker reportedly claimed he shot his roommate “from a combination of fear of safety and being angry.”
He was booked into the Taney County Jail and is being charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon.
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