Inset, left to right: Travis D. Jackson (Montgomery County Jail) and Tanner Staggs (GoFundMe). Background: Authorities at the scene where Jackson allegedly killed Staggs last week (WHIO).
A 36-year-old man from Ohio has been detained for allegedly murdering a 22-year-old landscape worker, shooting him fatally in the heart after a dispute about grass clippings landing on his car. Travis Daniel Jackson was apprehended last week and faces charges including one count of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of unlawfully discharging a firearm near prohibited premises in the death of Tanner Staggs, according to records.
The Dayton Police Department officers responded around 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, to a residence on the 100 block of Indiana Avenue after reports of an adult male being shot, the Dayton Daily News reported.
Upon arrival, the first responders discovered the victim, later identified as Staggs, who had sustained what seemed to be several gunshot wounds. Emergency medical staff transported Staggs to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
A recording of the 911 call obtained by local ABC and Fox affiliate WKEF revealed more about the events leading up to the shooting.
On the recording, a male voice can be heard telling the dispatcher there were “shots fired” and they have “got a guy shot in the heart.”
“They”re on their way,” the dispatcher responds. “OK, do you know how this started? Do you know who was shot?”
The caller mentioned, “Yeah, it was an argument over grass clippings on a car.” He also informed the dispatcher that the alleged shooter was still “right in front of the house.”
A witness told local CBS affiliate WHIO that Jackson came out of his house and was standing in the street when he opened fire on Staggs.
“In the street, he had a gun in his hand, and then I hear two shots. He had shot towards the house, where the landscapers were on the sidewalk, and he was in the street,” neighbor Gus Sinclair told the station, adding, “Guy lost his life for nothing.”
WHIO said a car parked in front of Jackson’s home that reportedly belongs to him had appeared to have “incredibly light lawn debris” on it.
Lawn clippings on a car reportedly owned by Jackson (WHIO).
Jackson is currently being held in the Montgomery County Jail without bond, records show.
Dunham’s Lawn Care LLC posted a tribute to Staggs on its Facebook page.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share devastating news that one of our team members tragically lost his life yesterday while working at a client’s property in a senseless act of gun violence,” the post said. “Tanner always had a positive attitude, was a good team player, got along well with others, was patient and understanding, and a leader among our crew. He was a young man with so much life ahead of him.
A GoFundMe page to pay for funeral costs had raised more than $30,000 as of Monday afternoon.
“He was a committed baseball player, had a love of animals, and was raised on and had a strong appreciation for hair metal and 90s rap – just like his father,” the page reads. “Everyone that has known him and been a part of his life will miss him greatly.”
