HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) — A clash between neighbors escalated quickly and left a man dead after an arrow was shot through his neck on Monday, investigators said.
Anthony Adams (Hernando County Sheriff’s Office)
Anthony Adams, 46, is charged with manslaughter after allegedly attacking another man during an argument.
At a news conference announcing the charges, Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said the incident occurred on a compound where several people reside in separate trailers and homes.
The female resident of one of the homes reported to police that she saw Adams walking out of her home while she was in a car with the victim. That female confronted Adams, and then an argument ensued between the three. At some point during the argument, Nienhouse said, Adams left and then immediately returned with a compound bow. Moments later, the victim was shot.
“The arrow went into this person’s neck, actually went through. And there’s a little bit of debate on what happened next, whether the victim himself pulled it out,” Niehaus said. “Somebody also said that maybe the suspect had pulled it out and tried to help this person.” Regardless, he said, “the case was made much worse because of that.”
Niehaus explained that while the victim may not have survived the wound, removing a penetrating object from any wound can actually make the injury far worse. “It’s never a good idea to pull that out.”
Deputies haven’t identified the victim, but did say that he was a convicted sex offender. Adams also has a criminal history: a review of court records shows charges dating back more than 10 years ending in convictions for battery. Niehaus said that Adams was on parole at the time of the shooting.
After he was taken into custody, Adams allegedly told investigators that he had no intention of hurting the victim and that the arrow had been fired accidentally.
Jail records indicate that Adams is being held without bond; no future court date was immediately available.
