In a tragic incident at a Gainesville park, a Georgia resident was fatally shot on Sunday while out for a walk with his dog.
The suspect, identified as 52-year-old Todd Alexander Stalcup, allegedly shot 70-year-old Terry Wayne Loden and his pet following a confrontation between their dogs, as reported by the Hall County Sheriff’s Office. The two men were strangers to each other.
According to the sheriff’s office, the altercation began with a dog fight, prompting Stalcup to shoot Loden’s dog and subsequently Loden himself. Although Stalcup initially stayed at the scene, he left before law enforcement could arrive. Authorities apprehended him roughly 15 minutes later.
Cheryle Loden, the victim’s wife, was present during the incident.
She recounted to WANF, “When he went down, I just thought, ‘I need to call 911. I need to call 911.’” She added, “[The shooter] simply responded, ‘Yeah, you do that.’”
Cheryle noted that her husband was trying to pull their dog, Jesse, away as soon as the altercation between the dogs began.
“He was on top of her pulling her off and about that time, the man just shot my dog, and Terry stood up and said, ‘Man what are you doing?’ And he just shot him,” Cheryle Loden said.
Terry Loden had been on the phone with his granddaughter when he was shot.
Stalcup has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
