HOA Dispute Leaves Three Dead

"HARRISBURG, NC — A six-hour SWAT team standoff ended late Friday with a suspected shooter and two of his neighbors dead, police say.

"A Cabarrus County sheriff’s official said the suspect apparently shot himself as deputies and SWAT team members surrounded the house where he was hiding. Earlier Friday, the suspect shot and killed two others, police say, in what they described as a neighborhood dispute.

"Authorities said Anthony Charles Hardy, 50, shot and killed neighbors Daniel Thomas Kirchner, 42, and Gary Wade Stocks, 64, in the backyard of Kirchner's house at 7791 Coachman Court.

"Hardy later killed himself after seeking refuge from police in his own home at 7795 Coachman Court, located between the houses of Kirchner and Stocks. The three brick homes are situated at the end of a cul-de-sac in the Windsor Forest neighborhood that backs up to Tom Query Road in Harrisburg.

"Police negotiated with Hardy for several hours, during which time he fired at least twice inside his home, sheriff Brad Riley said in a news release.

"Neighbors said Hardy was angry about pine trees that were cut down behind his house and that the victims were on the homeowners association board that approved the removal of the trees."

From the Charlotte Observer...