Neighbors' Garbage Dispute Ends with Gunfire

Covington police say a woman allegedly shot a firearm at her neighbor over a garbage dispute Tuesday, WSB-TV reports.

Sandra Ashby, 55, allegedly fired a gun when a neighbor, Lee Shepherd, placed plastic chairs in a trash trailer in her driveway and the two argued.

James Freeman, who said he’s Ashby’s boyfriend and lives in the home, doesn’t believe Ashby meant to harm Shepherd.

“She just shot up in the air,” Freeman told WSB-TV. “She did not shoot at anyone.”

Mary Davis, a neighbor who lives across the street on Hardwick Circle, thinks otherwise.

“I saw her point and when it popped, I jumped back and closed the door,” Davis said to WSB-TV. “It’s ridiculous, it really is. You’re going to shoot somebody over trash?”

Police found a loaded .22 handgun with one spent shell after arriving at the home. Ashby was arrested and charged with aggravated assault. She remains in the Newton County jail on a $10,000 bond, according to Freeman.

Freeman said Ashby is familiar with operating a firearm due to her time in the military and believes it was a misunderstanding.

»Find the full WSB story here.