Man Arrested On Murder Charges After Deadly Dogfight At GA Park

GAINESVILLE, GA — A man is facing murder charges in connection with the shooting deaths of a 70-year-old Gainesville man and his dog at a park, the Hall County Sheriff's Office said Monday.

The two men were walking their dogs around 3:30 p.m. Sunday at a Dawsonville Highway park when the dogs started fighting, authorities said.

Todd Alexander Stalcup, 52, was accused of shooting Terry Wayne Loden's dog with a handgun before shooting Loden.

Authorities said Stalcup initially remained at the scene before leaving in his SUV. About 15 minutes after the shooting, authorities said they took Stalcup into custody as he was leaving the park.

Loden died while at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, and his dog also died, authorities said.

They added Loden and Stalcup were not known to each other at the time of the fatal shooting.

Stalcup, who has a Lawrenceville address but has been living in Gainesville, was arrested on charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, authorities said. He is being held without bond at the Hall County Jail, authorities said.