A south Fort Myers man was sentenced to life in prison for a shooting that left his neighbor and a dog dead.
In March 2020, 49-year-old Luis Anthony Walker was walking his four dogs in the parking lot of his apartment complex in the Harlem Heights neighborhood of south Fort Myers. At around 7 p.m., his neighbors were also walking their dog outside.
During the walk, the neighbor's dog ran toward one of Walker's dogs. The neighbor pulled his dog away while Walker yelled at him, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Walker reportedly went back to his apartment to get a gun. He then went downstairs and shot the neighbor and his dog, killing them both. Multiple people witnessed the shooting.
Lee County deputies responded to the scene at Lago Del Sol Apartments, and while they were checking the neighbor, Walker came out of his apartment, saying, "It was me, I'm right here."
Walker was detained, and he told deputies he went back inside after the shooting because he didn't want to get arrested in sweatpants. He said the neighbor pulled the gun when the dogs were scuffling, and it accidentally went off.
Deputies searched Walker's apartment and recovered the gun used in the shooting.
Walker was convicted in May, following a jury trial in Lee County.
On Tuesday, Walker was also sentenced concurrently to 15 years in prison for aggravated animal cruelty with a firearm and 364 days in the Lee County Jail for improper exhibition of a firearm.
Walker is ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution and $13,207.38 for prosecution costs. He must also pay restitution to the victim's family, as well as more than $900 in court costs and other related fees.