Dispute Over Firewood Ends In Michigan Man's Fatal Shooting

TAYLOR, Mich. (AP) — A dispute over free firewood allegedly led a man to fatally shoot a neighbor in front of the victim's teenage son, suburban Detroit police said.

Taylor police said the victim was pronounced dead at a hospital Tuesday and a 70-year-old man was taken into custody after officers found him sitting outside his nearby home.

Police said the shooting victim was giving away firewood when a neighbor approached and took some. But the two men clashed after the neighbor began dragging the firewood on the ground, damaging the driveway of the man who was giving away the wood, WDIV-TV reported.

The shooting victim, who police did not identify, went to the 70-year-old man's house down the street to confront him. The two men exchanged words before the suspect shot and fatally wounded the man in front of the victim's 15-year-old son.

The suspect's wife and daughter told police the shooting was in self-defense after the shooting victim came at him with a shovel.