A northwest Georgia man thought he was shooting a prowler. Instead, it was a 72-year-old man with advanced Alzheimer’s disease who had wandered about three miles away from his home.
Ronald Westbrook died early Wednesday morning after being shot four times, once in the chest, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. When Westbrook was shot, he was clutching letters he had taken from a mailbox at a home where he formerly lived, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson said at news conference.
Joe Hendrix, 34, told police he shot the man outside his rental home after giving him several verbal commands. Westbrook did not respond, likely due to his medical condition, the newspaper reported.
Hendrix and his fiancee, whose name was not released, moved into the house just two weeks ago. They were awakened shortly before 4 a.m. when Westbrook rang the doorbell and tried to enter through the front door. Hendrix’s fiancee called 911, according to the report. But before deputies arrived, Hendrix went outside with a .40-caliber handgun.
No charges have been filed against Hendrix, but that could change, Wilson said. The GBI is assisting the Walker County Sheriff’s Office with the investigation.
“In my personal opinion, I believe that he should have stayed inside the house,” Wilson told the newspaper. “Did he violate any laws by exiting the house? No.”
Westbrook’s family did not know he was missing until around the time of the shooting, the sheriff said.
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