Neighbor shoots neighbor: one in the chest, two in the back
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By GEOFF FOX | The Tampa Tribune
Published: April 27, 2009
SHADY HILLS - John Croft, 81, stood on the line separating his property from Seth Sigmon's, a .22-caliber revolver in his hand.
Sigmon, 29, asked him if he planned to use it.
Croft answered with the trigger, shooting Sigmon once in the chest Saturday afternoon, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.
After Sigmon fell to the ground, witnesses said Croft shot him at least twice in the back before going back into his house on Connie Court, north of Crews Lake in northwest Pasco County.
Paramedics pronounced Sigmon dead shortly after 1 p.m.
Less than 90 minutes later, Croft was arrested on a manslaughter charge. He told investigators he was angry over "ongoing neighbor issues" with Sigmon and his family.
Croft is being held in the Land O' Lakes Jail, with bail set at $50,000.
While there was no physical confrontation between the men, witnesses said Sigmon, who weighs at least 250 pounds, nudged the 145-pound Croft and swore at him.
Mike Carnicom, who worked with Sigmon at Rimkus Consulting Group, an engineering firm where the friends fixed and monitored sinkholes, said there was a history between the two neighbors, though he didn't know the specifics. He saw what happened Saturday but didn't want to talk about it.
"I don't know anybody who didn't get along with Seth," Carnicom said. "He was the type of guy who'd give you the shirt off his back. He had a great sense of humor. You could joke with him [about anything] and he wouldn't get mad.
"He loved playing football with his son."
Deputies were called to Croft's home three times in 2005 and 2006, when he complained that dogs has attacked his goats, said sheriff's spokesman Kevin Doll. In November 2005, Croft told investigators he had fired a gun to keep dogs away from the goats.
But the sheriff's office has no documented history of friction between Sigmon and Croft, Doll said.
Neither man has a significant criminal background. Croft was arrested for disorderly conduct in 1984, and Sigmon was arrested for driving under the influence in 2001.
Lee Singletary, Sigmon's friend and former co-worker, is still trying to make sense of the shooting.
"He was a really good guy, a family guy who always talked about his kids and his wife," Singletary said. "He was a pretty big fellow, kind of heavyset, but harmless. I don't see him hurting anyone."
reminds me of 2 neighbors we know 😉
