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WASHINGTON CITY — A southern Utah man has been arrested and charged with shooting and killing his neighbor after some kind of an argument.
Bradly Scott Hunt, 32, of Washington, Washington County, was charged Friday in 5th District Court with murder, a first-degree felony; possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-degree felony; drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors.
He is accused of killing Christopher Montgomery, 38, who lived on the same street as Hunt. Police say the two men were acquainted with each other and Montgomery was killed on Hunt’s property, but investigators do not believe the incident is a case of self-defense.
Washington police were dispatched to the shooting about 10:30 p.m. Thursday in the area of East Huntington Hill Drive, according to a statement from the police department.
“The victim was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center where he later died from his injuries,” police said.
“It was reported that Bradly Hunt shot the victim in the chest. Officers arrived on scene and found Bradly Hunt in the front driveway with a male who had a chest wound. Officers also located a shotgun just inside the front door,” charging documents state.
When interviewed by police, Hunt said that he had been in a fight with Montgomery earlier in the day.
Washington police confirmed they were called to the residence a couple of hours before the shooting on a report of a fight. But at that time, neither Hunt nor Montgomery wanted to pursue charges against the other.
Hunt later claimed he received information that after Montgomery left, he went home to retrieve a firearm, the charges state.
“Bradly stated his father put a shotgun near the front door in case the victim returned to their residence.”
About 10 p.m., Hunt said he saw the man trying to get back into his house through a window, the charges state.
“Bradly then stated that he grabbed the shotgun, opened the front door, and then fired a shot at the victim. The victim and Bradly did not exchange any words before Bradly fired the weapon. Bradly stated that he did not know if the victim was in possession of a firearm or not. Bradly observed an item in his hand when he looked out the window but was unable to identify what it was,” according to the charging documents.
Police on Friday, however, said there was no evidence of Montgomery trying to break into the house through a window and no other firearm was found on scene other than the shotgun allegedly used to kill Montgomery.
Based on the evidence and witness statements, police said the shooting does not meet the criteria for self-defense as Hunt grabbed a gun, went outside and shot without saying a word.
