JOHNSON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — A man was arrested in Clarksville after he claimed he shot and killed another man in self-defense on Aug. 18, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Johnson County Sheriff Tom Hughes said his office responded to a reported shooting in a Clarksville home on Sunday, Aug. 18, where they found 49-year-old Joseph Middleton dead.
Mark Gonzalez, 22, reportedly told law enforcement he shot Middleton in self-defense when Middleton came at him with an axe. Gonzalez said he had previously put a loaded gun in his waistband when Middleton arrived because he had felt "bad vibes."
According to the affidavit, Gonzalez originally told officers he was the only one in the room at the time of the shooting, but investigators later discovered there were two witnesses in the room. A person who was in the room during the shooting said they did not see an axe during the alleged attack.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office requested the Arkansas State Police's (ASP) assistance in investigating Middleton's death.
At around 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 18, Gonzalez was booked into the Johnson County Detention Center for first-degree murder and two counts related to delivering drugs. He is being held in the Johnson County Jail on a $105,000 bond.
Court documents say a confidential informant with the 5th Judicial Drug Task Force had previously met with Gonzalez and purchased meth from him.
Gonzalez is set to appear in court on Sept. 18.
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