Prosecutors drop charges in Kingman shooting death

kingmandailyminer.com ^ | 17 February, 2012 | Ahron Sherman

[marktwain]

Mohave County prosecutors have dropped the second-degree murder charge against a north Kingman man who shot and killed his neighbor late Jan. 22 outside of a triplex on Dove Lane.

James Clifton Craft, 70, called 911 a little after 10 p.m. Jan. 22 and told dispatchers that he had just shot someone outside of his door. The man he shot, 27 year-old Matthew James Paulson, was declared dead at the scene.

"I shot him in self defense," Craft said.

Craft said he was in his residence that night when he heard a series of loud bangs, which sounded as if someone was pounding on the hood of a car. He said he opened his door to take a look at what was going on and saw his neighbor, Paulson, jumping up and down and pounding his fists into the hoods of the vehicles parked there. He was also screaming racial epithets, but it was unclear whom his rage was directed at, Craft said.

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MCSO's investigation into the shooting is closed, and Craft received all of the property deputies confiscated back except for the gun, which Craft said he doesn't want anyway.

[marktwain]

Why are the authorities refusing to return his firearm?

[Michael.SF.]

Prosecutors drop charges in Kingman shooting death

Quite a performance by Kingman

[muawiyah]

Not unusual for someone to throw a gun away he's used to kill someone. I doubt this guy was at all happy he shot his neighbor.

Some people might be happy though.

[45semi]

"Paulson, who has "a rap sheet as long as your arm," Cote said."
Mohave County Prosecutor Jacob Cote

Whodathunkit?