Michigan father of 2 shot and killed after dispute with neighbor over mulch: 'A gentle soul'

A Michigan father of two was shot and killed Saturday after a confrontation with his neighbor turned deadly, police said. 

The violence unfolded just before noon in a quiet residential neighborhood in Canton. One neighbor told FOX 2 the neighborhood had never had an episode like this in the more than three decades he had been living there. 

Canton police officers were dispatched to the 200 block of Cornell Street in response to an apparent confrontation between two neighbors. 

Nathan Morris is pictured with his family. (FOX 2)

Responding officers found the victim with gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital, where he died. 

The shooting suspect, later identified as 47-year-old Devereaux Christopher Johnson, barricaded himself inside his home before eventually surrendering to police. 

"This was a senseless act of violence toward the victim," Canton Police Chief Chad Baugh said in a statement. "The Canton Police Department sends our deepest condolences to the victim’s family, and to the neighbors who may have witnessed this tragic event." 

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The victim was identified as Nathan Morris, a 35-year-old engineer at Ford Motors and a father of two. 

A GoFundMe page set up by Morris’ family described him as a "family man first and foremost [who] was active in the community and ran for the Canton School Board recently." 

Devereaux Christopher Johnson is being held in custody.  (FOX 2)

Michigan RNC Committeewoman Hima Kolanagireddy said Morris got involved in politics when Ford mandated COVID-19 vaccines. She said she "worked closely with him as the former Chair of the MI-6th CDRC, and as a member of the Wayne 6th CDRC, of which he was a secretary." 

"On Saturday, while taking a stroll with his family in his neighborhood, his daughter touched the mulch of one of the neighbors. The neighbor took a gun out and started threatening the family," Kolanagireddy said. "Nathan sent his family home and said that he would try and defuse the situation, but instead was shot and killed."

Kolanagireddy described Morris as "a gentle soul" who was "near perfect." 

"He would do no harm and think no harm," she wrote. 

Johnson was arraigned Monday in the 35th District Court on first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a weapon. Judge James A. Plakas remanded Johnson to be held at the Wayne County jail without bond. 

Johnson’s next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 23.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.