Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

911 Caller Horrified After Neighbor Fatally Shoots Husband Because 'He Thought He Was A Democrat'

mugshot of Austin Gene Combs; Screenshot of WCPO 9 news report featuring 911 call
Butler County Jail; WCPO 9/YouTube

Austin Gene Combs has been charged with murder after gunning down neighbor Anthony Lee King In Ohio for his perceived political affiliation.

A 911 call following a deadly shooting in Okeana, Ohio last weekend reveals a neighbor fatally shot the caller's husband because "he thought he was a Democrat."

The family of Anthony Lee King, 43, called the local authorities after they found him unresponsive and bleeding in his backyard. They told the 911 dispatcher their neighbor, identified as Austin Gene Combs, gunned King down for his perceived political affiliation.


The wife of the late King can be heard telling dispatchers:

"He’s come over like four times confronting my husband because he thought he was a Democrat."
"Why? Why? Please, I don’t understand." ...
[referring to the sound of gunshots] "I said to my son, what the heck was that?"
"I looked at the backyard, and that man was walking away from my husband."

You can watch news coverage of the event—and listen to the 911 call—in the video below.

911 caller: Neighbor killed husband because 'he thought he was a Democrat'www.youtube.com

King died of multiple gunshot wounds.

The Butler County Coroner’s Office ruled his death a homicide.

The 26-year-old Combs was arrested shortly afterward and officially charged with murder. He was booked into the Butler County Jail on Saturday, November 5 and his bond was set at $950,000 Monday during a video arraignment.

Combs confessed to shooting Anthony Lee King “several times with a revolver” while King and his wife were doing yardwork shortly before noon on November 5.

News of the incident quickly circulated online and many have blamed the Republican Party's inflammatory rhetoric—regularly disseminated via the propaganda network on Fox News—for the murder.


Fox News—often through its most popular personality Tucker Carlson—has been criticized in the past for airing White nationalist talking points and other rhetoric stoking political violence.

Notably, this spring Carlson conveniently ignored conspiracies he was responsible for spreading, refusing to take responsibility for the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory he often touted on his program that suggests White European populations and their descendants are being demographically and culturally replaced with non-European peoples.

This conspiracy theory directly influenced a White nationalist shooter who killed 10 people and injured three others during a mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York supermarket. The shooter subscribed to the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory and even mentioned Carlson in a 180-page manifesto he posted online.

Prominent Republicans have also in recent days been accused of calling for violence against Democratic opponents, particularly in the lead-up to this week's midterm elections.

Last week, Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene had a crowd boo House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi, who in late October survived after being repeatedly struck with a hammer during a home invasion.

The attacker had embraced far-right political conspiracy theories including QAnon, Pizzagate, ideas related to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and Holocaust denial, all of which have regularly circulated in conservative circles.

Similarly, Eric Trump was harshly condemned by Democrats last weekend after he told a gathering of QAnon adherents and other conspiracy theorists that Democrats "want to destroy Christianity—in addition to families, children, and history—in what has been widely interpreted as a call for violence against political opponents.

More from Trending

Jesse Watters
Fox News

Jesse Watters Dragged After Adding Another Mind-Boggling Rule For 'Real Men'

Fox News host Jesse Watters, who is apparently an authority of what it means to be a manly man, gave jazz hands to make a point about how "real men" should or shouldn't wave.

The target of his ridicule was Tim Walz, the enthusiastic Democratic Minnesota governor and vice presidential candidate who often greets the public by raising both hands in the air to wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of crowd at town hall and Rep. Mike Flood
@MorePerfectUS/X; KETV NewsWatch 7

GOP Rep. Goes Viral For His Response To Crowd Chanting 'Tax The Rich' At Town Hall

Nebraska Republican Representative Mike Flood was criticized following his incredulous response to a crowd that chanted "Tax the rich!" during a town hall meeting.

The Columbus High School auditorium hosted the town hall on Tuesday evening, drawing "nearly 380" attendees, according to local network KETV Omaha. The event was lively, with Flood facing both sharp criticism over Trump administration policies and some appreciation for showing up in person.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Awkward Typo In Elon Musk's Bizarre 'Education Department' Trump Meme Is A Total Self-Own

Billionaire Elon Musk was widely mocked after he celebrated President Donald Trump's executive order to begin to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE) by posting a meme of Trump at the department's grave, only for an awkward misspelling to get all the attention.

Polling indicates that eliminating the Education Department is largely unpopular, with 60% of registered voters opposing the move, according to a Quinnipiac University survey conducted March 6-10. Support stands at 33%, with opposition particularly strong among Democrats—98% oppose it, while just 1% support it.

Keep ReadingShow less
JB Pritzker; Donald Trump
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Dem Governor Reveals Trump's Bonkers Demand In Exchange For Equipment During COVID

Illinois Democratic Governor J.B. Pritzker revealed during a speech this week that he clashed with President Donald Trump during the first Trump administration after Trump promised necessary medical equipment during the COVID pandemic on the condition that Pritzker praise him publicly.

Five years ago, the United States was grappling with the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country had entered shutdowns that had severe economic consequences, leaving businesses and industries on the brink of collapse.

Keep ReadingShow less
Scrabble tiles spelling the word scam
Scam spelled with scrabbles on a wooden table

People Break Down How They Realized An Entire Industry Was A Total Scam

We unfortunately live in a world where scams are on the rise.

Thankfully, some of them are pretty easy to detect, such as an automated call from the IRS telling you a warrant is out for your arrest, or an email claiming to be from Amazon or the USPS asking for your credit card information, only to look closer and see the email address is a yahoo account.

Keep ReadingShow less