Anthony Emerson (Pulaski County Detention Center).
An Ohio man is behind bars in Kentucky after shooting his friend during a physical dispute, according to police in the Bluegrass State.
Anthony Emerson, 35, stands accused of one count of murder, according to Pulaski County jail records.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning near Lake Cumberland, a massive reservoir and lake spanning several counties in Kentucky. By the end, Thomas Wayne Dick, 35, was dead from a gunshot wound, according to the Pulaski County Sheriff”s Department.
The assailant hails from Batavia, Ohio – a village some 25 miles east of Cincinnati. The victim is from Aurora, Indiana – a small town located just across the border and in the Cincinnati metro area. The pair would have traveled roughly 200 miles due south to get to the lake house where the violence ultimately unfolded.
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On the day in question, Emerson himself called 911.
“Did he break into the residence?” the dispatcher asked in audio obtained by Lexington-based CBS and The CW affiliate WKYT.
Emerson allegedly answered in the negative: “No, he didn’t break in, man. We got into an argument. He came at me. I didn’t have a choice.”
The dispatcher then pressed the caller: “Sir, who shot him?”
This time, Emerson allegedly answered the county employee in the affirmative: “I did. He came in and threatened my life. I didn’t have a choice. Please just come, save him.”
Law enforcement took 20 minutes to arrive due to the remote nature of the area and a purported mistake about the address made by the 911 caller – a mistake itself apparently owed to the lack of signage on the rural gravel road where the two friends fought.
“The dad told me that these two were friends,” Pulaski County Deputy Coroner Keith Price told the TV station. “Lifelong friends. They just got into an altercation. One shot the other one.”
During the 911 call, Emerson allegedly offered some details, saying he shot his friend in the upper chest area. The defendant also maintained his claimed state of mind, saying the victim did not have any weapons but that he felt threatened nonetheless.
Dick was dead by the time authorities arrived after 1:30 a.m., sheriff’s deputies told Cincinnati-based Fox affiliate WXIX.
What caused the duo to fight in the first place is not currently known.
Emerson, for his part, allegedly admitted to the 911 dispatcher that he and Dick had been drinking alcohol before the shots rang out.
“I was scared for my life,” the defendant allegedly insisted.
Emerson is currently being detained in the Pulaski County Detention Center on $1 million bond.
The investigation is said to be ongoing and local law enforcement has requested the public’s help with additional information.
