A verbal altercation at a grocery store near Lake Palestine turned violent shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Monday, ending with one man shot and the suspect fleeing. Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse identified the victim as Michael Joe Neil of Chandler, Texas, who was listed in stable condition following the shooting.
The confrontation unfolded at Lakeside Grocery near Lake Palestine, according to EastTexasRadio.com. What began as a verbal dispute between the two men escalated to a shooting. The victim was shot multiple times before the gunman ran from the store.
Suspect Identified, Vehicle Sought
Henderson County deputies identified the suspect as 29-year-old Johnnie Arthur King Jr., who fled the grocery store after the shooting, per the same account from EastTexasRadio.com. The vehicle was described as a tan truck pulling a flatbed trailer last seen heading southbound on FM 315, the station's report notes. Investigators believe King is behind the wheel of that flatbed rig, according to deputies cited in the seed reporting.
As of Tuesday, it remains unclear whether King and Neil knew each other before the fight broke out, or what sparked the initial argument that led to gunfire. It is also unknown whether deputies have located the flatbed truck along the FM 315 corridor since the manhunt began.
What King Could Face If Caught
Under Texas Penal Code § 22.02, shooting a person with a firearm constitutes Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000, according to Flatiron Legal Advisors, cited by Hoodline. No charges against King have been publicly detailed beyond the ongoing search, and the sheriff's office has not said whether additional charges are being considered.
A Sheriff's Office Already Stretched Thin
The Henderson County Sheriff's Office, led by Sheriff Hillhouse, is providing law-enforcement coverage for the nearby town of Trinidad after state regulators forced that town's police department to disband, according to WFAA.
Neil is from Chandler, and the shooting took place at Lakeside Grocery near Lake Palestine.
Deputies have not released further updates on Neil's condition beyond the initial report that he was stable, and the search for King along the FM 315 corridor was still active as of Tuesday.
