PANAMA CITY BEACH – One man is dead after an altercation with his girlfriend led to a shooting Friday night.
Officials with the Bay County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call around 11 p.m. in the Sterling Cove community off Front Beach Road in Panama City Beach, where they found William Brodie Grooms, 32, had been shot by a neighbor according to a news release. Grooms and girlfriend Ashlyn K. Holt, 32, had fought earlier in the evening, after which Holt left the house to walk her dog, officials said.
While outside, Holt saw her neighbor, Gerald Douglas Carter, sitting on his front porch reading a book. She went to sit with Carter, but shortly after Grooms came out of their house and began yelling obscenities at Holt, officials wrote. Grooms went over to Carter’s house and stood in the driveway for a period of time before grabbing Holt’s arm and twisting it. Holt broke free and returned to Carter’s front porch. Carter came out of his house and Grooms began to run towards Carter at which point Carter used a hand gun to shot Grooms three times, officials wrote.
They added that neighbors heard the shots and attempted first aid. Grooms was taken to a local hospital where was pronounced dead.
The slaying remains under investigation by the Bay County Sheriff's Office and the States Attorney's Office.