BYRON, Ga. — A Byron man appeared in court Monday as a judge formally charged him in the murder of his roommate.
"I couldn't imagine anything so bad for childhood friends, for this to come to this,” Chief Wesley Cannon said.
Byron Police say the end of a 30-year friendship between Claude Deaton and Rodney Slocumb played out in front of neighbors this weekend.
"From what we're told, arguments between them happened often, especially when there was alcohol involved, and alcohol was involved Friday night," he said.
Chief Wesley Cannon says neighbors reported hearing Rodney Slocumb and Claude Deaton arguing. After more than an hour, things moved inside, until a neighbor says Deaton came back outside.
"He saw him drop his keys and his cell phone, so he went over to stop him from driving or help him, and that's when he fell down and he said, 'He shot me,;" the chief explained.
The bullet hit Deaton in his upper chest.
Byron police and EMS arrived, but Deaton later died.
"I'd known Rodney since I've known Dean, and I was just like, 'Oh, my gosh.' We didn't believe it would be somebody we knew," Deaton's ex-wife Jennifer McWilliams said.
McWilliams and daughter Alyssa Deaton say they learned what happened Friday night from other relatives.
"His selfies -- gosh, he loved his selfies. Facebook was like his favorite thing. He always posted his gym pics, he wanted people to know he was big," McWilliams said.
Deaton was 46 years old. His ex-wife says she's happy he was in a good place with their children.
"I'm glad that both of the kids recently, within the last week, got a text from their dad how much he loved them and how proud he was of them," McWilliams said.
Deaton's family say he received a call the day before he was shot with a job offer to drive trucks.
Slocumb had a first appearance Monday morning. He's now in the Peach County jail charged with murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during a commission of a crime.