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 took place early Sunday morning near Lake Cumberland, an expansive reservoir and lake covering multiple counties in Kentucky. As a result, Thomas Wayne Dick, 35, was found dead from a gunshot wound, as reported by the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department.
The perpetrator is from Batavia, Ohio—a village situated roughly 25 miles east of Cincinnati. The victim was from Aurora, Indiana, a small town just across the border within the Cincinnati metropolitan region. Both individuals would have traveled almost 200 miles directly south to reach the lake house where the tragic events 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 reportedly confirmed to the county employee, saying, “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.
