Richardson man, 81, charged with fatally shooting ‘difficult' roommate

An 81-year-old man is in custody, accused of murder after Richardson police say he fatally shot his roommate last week after a confrontation.

Douglas Ervin, 81, has been charged with murder after police said he shot and killed 59-year-old Gregory 'Greg' Johnson on Thursday, Feb. 13 at about 9:12 p.m.

Watch NBC 5 free wherever you are

  WATCH HERE

The shooting happened at Ervin's home in the 1100 block of Wake Drive in Richardson, which he shared with two other roommates, according to police.

An arrest warrant document states Ervin called 911 and told the dispatcher he shot his tenant after a confrontation. According to the arrest warrant, when asked if the victim was breathing, Ervin responded with, "Nah, he's dead."

Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning with NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.

  SIGN UP

When police arrived, they found Ervin on the front porch of his home with his hands up and a mobile phone in his hand. He told officers, "The guy I shot" and another roommate were inside the home, according to the document.

Ervin told police during his interview at the police station that within the last month, Johnson was "being a difficult roommate by leaving the front door open, leaving lights on, leaving the water running, and 'Greg' did not pay his portion of the rent for the month of February."

In the arrest affidavit, Ervin complained the roommate would "come home smelling like 'weed.'" According to police, Ervin said he had trouble speaking and that Johnson ridiculed him for his speech.

Local

The latest news from around North Texas.

Arlington Mar 22

National Medal of Honor Museum draws heroes, leaders, celebrities for grand opening celebration

Fort Worth Mar 22

The body of a young child recovered 18 hours after car went into Trinity River, police say

Ervin told detectives Johnson made a rude comment to him while walking past his bedroom.

He got very angry, and Ervin told police he "went from zero to 1,000."

Police said he grabbed a shotgun from beside his bed and then shot Johnson once.

The other roommate, who was watching a movie in his room, heard the gunshot and walked out in the hallway to find Johnson on the floor.

The court document goes on to state Ervin said the shotgun shell got stuck and asked the other roommate to help him fix it. Ervin then went to his room and called 911.

Police said they did not see any defensive wounds on Ervin, and during the interview, Ervin confirmed that Johnson did not have any weapons and did not advance toward him.