MISSOURI – A 42-year-old man is facing murder charges after allegedly gunning down his neighbor in the street, shooting him 13 times during a confrontation that started over a blanket tossed onto the victim’s lawn.
Jeffrey King was arrested and charged with murder and armed criminal action following the January 13 shooting that claimed the life of Chris Wells, 41. King is being held on $5 million bond.
According to court documents, the deadly encounter began when King threw a blanket onto Wells’ front yard. Wells’ wife called her husband at work to tell him what happened, and Wells came home to confront his neighbor about it.
What started as a verbal dispute in the street quickly escalated into a physical fight, then gunfire. King claims Wells punched him in the face first, and he shot in self-defense.
But two juvenile witnesses painted a very different picture for investigators. They told police they watched King shoot Wells in the back while the victim was lying face-down on the ground.
The shooting wasn’t an isolated incident between the two households. Court documents reveal King had “a long running series of confrontations with his neighbors which have over time only escalated in severity.” The harassment was documented by both the homeowner’s association and local law enforcement, and reportedly began even before Wells and his family moved into the neighborhood in 2023.
King appeared in court on January 15 and pleaded not guilty. His next hearing is scheduled for the following week.
Neighbors packed the courtroom to show support for the victim’s family. Resident Courtney Brown told reporters that Wells “was a very good guy” who “didn’t deserve to be gunned down like that.”
