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Man Shoots Neighbor In Dispute, Police Say

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By BILLY TOWNSEND, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 8, 2007

WINTER HAVEN - Trucks, tempers, Christmas displays and a gun proved a violent mix Thursday night for one Polk County neighborhood, the sheriff's office said.

Matthew Lankford, 25, is accused of shooting 35-year-old Douglas Sheldon during a confrontation at Lankford's home. Moments before, Lankford had used his truck to leave deep ruts in the middle of Sheldon's front yard and destroy an inflatable Santa Claus and a tall wire snowman, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said.

Sheldon was taken to Lakeland Regional Medical Center with gunshot wounds to his arm and abdomen. He was listed in stable condition, sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood said Friday.

His brother, Bo Sheldon, said Sheldon was expected to recover.

Douglas Sheldon and his family live three houses from where Lankford lives with his mother on Country Walk Lane. It's the spine street of Country Walk, a well-kept middle-class subdivision of about 30 homes near Winter Haven.

The sheriff's office gave this account of the trouble on Country Walk Lane:

Sheldon and Lankford's sister, Audra, got into an argument about 10 p.m. Thursday over her driving. As Sheldon was trying to park his truck at his home, Audra Lankford tried to drive around Sheldon, and an argument began.
Audra Lankford called her brother and a friend and told them about the argument. On his way home, Matthew Lankford drove his vehicle into the middle of Sheldon's front yard and destroyed the Christmas decorations.

Sheldon rushed from his home to confront Lankford, but first he encountered Lankford's mother, with whom he traded harsh words. Sheldon pushed Lankford's mother out of the way and began exchanging words with a friend of Lankford's.

Lankford reappeared with a .45-caliber handgun, the sheriff's office said. It said that in the course of the argument, Lankford fired once, hitting Sheldon in the arm and abdomen.

Sheldon was hospitalized and underwent surgery, Wood said.

Lankford was arrested at the scene.

Questions remain about what was behind the confrontations.

Sheldon's wife, Maria, said her husband had been trying to tell Audra Lankford to drive slower through the neighborhood.

Maria Sheldon said her husband was leaving Lankford's home and walking out of their driveway when he was shot. She said she and her two children feared he was going to die from his injuries.

"We honestly thought we were going to lose the man that we love," she said.

Lankford's father, Matthew Lankford IV, said it was his understanding that Lankford was acting in defense of his mother, but he didn't see what happened firsthand.

No one knew of any bad blood between Sheldon and the Lankfords. The Lankford family recently had moved to the subdivision.

"They didn't even know each other," the elder Lankford said.

Bo Sheldon said it was hard to believe what had happened to his brother. He noted that Sheldon turned 35 Wednesday and that they had enjoyed an afternoon together Thursday, just hours before the mayhem. "We just played golf," he said.

Lankford said he was worried about retaliation.

And a neighbor, Serena Alberts, who had nothing to do with the confrontation, said she's worried about what might happen. "It seems like someone's going to have to move," she said.

Maria Sheldon said she has no reason to physically retaliate against Lankford's family although she is furious about the incident.

"I don't think you defuse something with a neighbor who shot your husband," she said. "I'm very angry. But what can I do except to let the law handle it properly?"

Wood said deputies are aware of the ongoing security concerns and will step up patrols.

Reporter Ray Reyes contributed to this report. Reporter Billy Townsend can be reached at wtownsend@tampatrib.com or (863) 284-1409.

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