A soldier is accused of killing a man that he discovered with his wife after he drove home to Georgia, 900 miles from his training in Texarkana, Texas.
Jermaine Ray Mealy, 31, began the drive after speaking with his wife concerning a robbery that had apparently taken place at his house, according to police.
“She told him not to worry about it because police had been here,” Hinesville Police Department Lt. Susy Jackson told WTOC-TV. “This morning, she had a friend that came over, and then later her husband shows up.”
Watch a full report on the crime below:
WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather
When Mealy discovered the man with his wife, a fight broke out that ended when Mealy allegedly shot the unidentified man multiple times in the chest and stomach. Although the man was rushed to Liberty Regional Medical Center, he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Mealy, a chief warrant officer stationed at Fort Polk in Louisiana, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after the incident. No bail has been set for him yet.
While the Army and Fort Polk have not yet responded to requests for information on the status of Mealy or his tenure with the Army, Mealy already has several friends and supporters on social media. One online commentor, who claimed to be his cousin, said, “None of us could say what we would have done.”
The names of the man who was killed and of Mealy’s wife have not been released, because police want their families to be notified first.