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Elderly man reportedly shoots, kills neighbor for alleged racial slurs, reports say

One man, later identified as Chandler Martin, died. Another person was injured in the Sunday shooting.
Credit: Walton County Sheriff's Office

WALTON COUNTY, Ga. — An elderly man is now behind bars after he allegedly shot his neighbors for reported racial slurs and bullying Sunday night, according to a Walton County Sheriff's report.

Deputies responded to a home on River Run Road in Monroe, which is in the Apalachee subdivision. When they arrived, they found two men who had been shot.  

One of the men, later identified as Chandler Martin, died. Another person was injured in the shooting, the report showed.

Sheriff's deputies were then alerted that the alleged shooter was living next door and was inside, according to reports.

Reports stated that they met with several people at the home, who told officers that the alleged shooter, later identified as Opel Lackey, would cooperate with deputies.

Authorities said in the report that once they arrested the 77-year-old, family members told the responding sheriff's deputies that the neighbors always gave Lackey "a hard time." They said, "they would curse at him, use racial slur and anything else that would agitate him."

A family member said the neighbors reportedly "agitated" him every Sunday he would do yard work, the report stated.

One of the family members told deputies that Lackey would normally go back inside to "avoid conflict."

But, the family said he was "tired of it" this past Sunday. That's when a family member saw the shooting unfold, the incident report showed.

When the shooting initially happened, Walton County Sheriff's deputies released a statement to the public. 

"Please avoid the area while the investigation continues," the sheriff's office wrote on its social media page. 

Lackey is being charged with murder, two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, jail records show. He is currently being held without bond.

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