Man charged in Racine air-gun homicide
A 68-year-old Racine man has been charged with using an air-powered pellet gun in a fatal shooting.
Maurice McCray faces a count of first-degree reckless homicide after a confrontation Thursday with another man who had physically intervened when he saw McCray beating a Chihuahua dog, according to the criminal complaint.
McCray is being held at the Racine County Jail.
According to the complaint: Early Thursday, two men drove up near McCray's residence at the corner of Racine Street and Reilly Court. The victim, Trevor L. Jackson, 35, had been in contact about arranging sex with a woman who lived there.
Both men were standing outside the car when McCray appeared with his dog, a Chihuahua, and began abusing the animal. Jackson told McCray to stop and eventually shoved him to the ground. McCray got up, took his dog and went back inside.
The two men drove off but then returned. The woman the victim had been in contact with was outside, got them to stop, and was let in the backseat, where she started hitting Jackson, and yelling, "Don't you ever hit my man."
She got out and eventually pulled Jackson from the driver's seat of the car.
The second man told police he slid over, got control of the car, and turned back to get his friend when he noticed McCray with a rifle. He fired at Jackson. The second man told Jackson to get in the car. Jackson said he'd been hit.
The man told police that as he drove away, Jackson lost consciousness and later was pronounced dead at a hospital. The driver identified McCray from a police photo array.
Investigators then served a search warrant at McCray's house and found a high-powered .177-caliber air rifle. The woman involved in the incident was there, and told police she knew the victim from high school and went out to ask why he had pushed McCray.
McCray told investigators he went outside with the gun to scare Jackson and then saw him fighting with the woman and fired one shot at Jackson.
Air rifles are not usually considered deadly, but some high-powered versions can inflict fatal injuries. The complaint against McCray does not specify the model he owned, or indicate the range of the fatal shot or where it struck the victim.