A Republican activist was shot and killed in his Canton Township neighborhood over the weekend during a dispute with a neighbor over mulch.

“We are devastated to share the tragic news about Nathan Morris, who was senselessly taken from us while protecting his family in Canton,” Hima Kolanagireddy, former chair of the 6^th Congressional District Republican Committee, wrote in a post to X cited by The Detroit News.

Morris, a 35-year-old father of two who served as the committee’s secretary since 2022, took a stroll through his neighborhood with his family on Saturday, when his daughter touched a neighbor’s mulch, prompting the man to threaten the family with a gun, Kolanagireddy wrote.

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

“Nathan sent his family home and said he would try to diffuse the situation, but instead was shot and killed,” the post read.

Canton Township Public Services Director Chad Baugh confirmed the sequence of events to The News on Monday, but declined further comment.

Nathan Morris was a friend, a fellow patriot, a strong Christian, a wonderful husband to Becky, and a great dad to Molly and Zoey. He was an engineer at Ford Motors and got involved  in politics when Ford mandated COVID-19 vaccines. He ran for Canton School board to make schools…

— Michigan GOP (@MIGOP) August 11, 2024

Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged Devereaux Johnson, 47, with one count each of first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm, and two counts of felony firearm in Morris’ death.

Johnson, who lived a block away from Morris, was arraigned on Monday, when prosecutors told Judge James Plakas that Johnson “initiated a verbal argument” before shooting the unarmed Morris. Police responded to a report of a shooting around 11:48 p.m. and found Morris suffering from a gunshot wound in the street, CBS News reports.

An autopsy confirmed Morris died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Police allege Johnson initially barricaded himself in his home before eventually surrendering.

“It’s a terrible tragedy,” Marcus Carlson, Morris’ pastor, told WDIV. “You know, the world is not as it should be. Sometimes, we get caught up in all these details and forget that there is, you know, a wife and a mother and two little girls without a father.”

“Nathan Morris was a friend, a fellow patriot, a strong Christian, a wonderful husband to Becky, and a great dad to Molly and Zoey. He was an engineer at Ford Motors and got involved in politics when Ford mandated COVID-19 vaccines,” Kolanagireddy posted to X. “He ran for Canton School board to make schools safe for his daughters.”

“Nathan is one of those few guys who are near perfect. He would do no harm and think no harm,” she wrote. “He is just an amazing and gentle soul. He will be missed dearly.”

Canton Township Police Officer Kyle Fite described Johnson is a danger to society during Johnson’s arraignment on Monday, pointing to a history of previous assaults on neighbors, city employees and police. Johnson last year was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, as well as a felony for assaulting, obstructing or resisting a police officer.

Johnson pleaded guilty to assault and battery and the felony was dismissed, resulting in a year of probation that concluded in July. He is also a registered sex offender due to a sexual assault conviction in Nevada in 2005, according to The News.

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

Several of those neighbors told The News that Johnson had a history of confrontations and arguments with others in the neighborhood. Some told WDIV Johnson and Morris had a history of conflicts that dated back months.

“The justice system is never perfect,” Carlson, Morris’ pastor, told the news site. “No system is perfect, but you got to let that do its process, right? And so, for me, I’m not focused on that. The family is not focused on that. What is most important right now is caring for these people and caring for the, you know, his wife.”

A fundraiser on GiveSendGo for Morris’ family hit its goal of $25,000 within two days of the shooting, and was at $30,105 Tuesday morning.

“Surviving are his wife and two children. He will be missed by the hundreds of people who knew him, loved him, and enjoyed his can-do spirit and strong focus on the work and responsibilities,” the fundraiser read.

Plakas denied Johnson’s request for a $5 million bail and remanded him to Wayne County Jail. Plakas also ordered Johnson to undergo mental competency and criminal responsibility testing at the Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry, The News reported.