A wounded nephew killed his uncle in a shootout — apparently over a prized pet fighting rooster — early Wednesday morning at a Moore Cemetary Road mobile home near Decatur, Tenn., in Meigs County, authorities said. Larry Eugene Johnson, Jr. was inside one of two mobile homes on the property with a gunshot wound to the chest. Killed in a 2 a.m. hail of gunfire was Timothy Dewayne Johnson, 52, whose body was found in the driveway. Timothy Johnson had arrived at Larry Johnson’s mobile home and confronted his nephew to accuse him of stealing the gamecock, according to a news release from 9th Judicial District Attorney General Russell Johnson. Timothy Johnson, who apparently was standing when shot, was struck four times, authorities said. Larry Johnson told a bystander his uncle had drawn a gun and that he was trying to grab the gun when he was shot in his chest under his left arm, according to the release. That’s when Larry fired back several times with his own gun. Larry Johnson was flown by medical helicopter to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he was listed in stable condition Thursday afternoon. The rooster, reportedly named “Bubba,” is of a variety that’s bred to engage in combat, but had been Timothy Johnson’s “pet” for several years, Meigs County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Alex Clary said. “Regardless of grudges or whatever the case may be, this ain’t the way to solve anything because nobody wins in the end,” said April Johnson. Timothy Johnson’s body was taken to the Regional Forensics Center in Knoxville for an autopsy. The district attorney’s office says once all autopsy and toxicology tests are in, as well as a complete investigative file, the case will be presented to the next Meigs County Grand Jury which meets in late November.
– It has all the trappings of a Tennessee noir: an uncle allegedly dead by his nephew's hand, a gunfight, a mobile home, and a kidnapped fighting rooster tied to a chair. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports police were called to the scene of a deadly shooting early yesterday shortly after 52-year-old Timothy Johnson showed up at his 28-year-old nephew Larry Johnson's mobile home to accuse him of stealing his prized rooster. Larry reportedly claims his uncle pulled a gun on him, so he tried to grab it and was shot in the chest. Police say Larry pulled his own gun in retaliation and launched—in the words of the News Sentinel—a "hail of gunfire" at his uncle. WATE6 reports Timothy was found dead in the driveway, and Larry was airlifted to the hospital for treatment. Officers located the fighting rooster tied to a chair in Larry's mobile home, surprisingly unharmed.