The fatal shooting of a Black man in a trailer park is rocking a rural community in Missouri as neighbors who say they witnessed the killing dispute the police narrative of events.
The man, who is black and Filipino, was shot in the town of Bourbon.
Police say he was shot by the owner of the home he was trying to break into, but witnesses and family members say he was shot by a man he called his friend.
King died at the scene. The neighbor who shot him was taken into custody and later released.
King and his daughter are together. John King has a picture.
King was shot after forcing entry into a neighboring residence where an altercation took place, according to the Crawford County Sheriff's Department. The homeowner shot King because he was afraid for his life, according to the news release.
The department said that the evidence and statements corroborate the homeowner's account of the events.
The people who live in the trailer park doubt that narrative, according to family members.
Three neighbors told NBC News that the shooter was a man who had expressed a desire to kill someone, had a history of violence and was known to use racial epithets. King and the shooter were friends according to several neighbors.
According to the NAACP president, the King family believes that their son was not shot inside the home, as the sheriff's account states.
John King told NBC News that the man who shot his son was the one who said it was a home invasion. "All the neighbors are saying, 'No, you shot him in cold blood outside.'
He only had pajama bottoms. How was he a threat? John King said something. In broad daylight, a man was shot in the head.
Missouri's "castle doctrine" law allows individuals to use deadly force against invaders without being required to retreat.
The shooter, who is not facing charges, did not reply to NBC News' request for comment.
On Nov. 3, what happened?
King was described as a happy-go-lucky man who always offered help. He moved to Bourbon to be near his daughter.
The manager of the trailer park said she saw King heading toward the neighbor's trailer moments before the shooting. All of a sudden, she heard a loud noise.
At the last pop, Stiller said he saw a slow, slow collapse by the man with his hands up in the air. She didn't see King enter the trailer or the shooter living across from each other.
I heard him say that he thought they were friends. She said that the neighbor said, "We were!" and he walked back.
King was described as a gentle man by another neighbor. She said he helped her find her dogs that went missing the day after the shooting. She said that King and the neighbor who shot him worked together to fix her car.
Both of them got under the hood. She said that they were just cutting it up laughing.
King and the neighbor walked off together. She rushed to the window to see King lying on the ground after hearing three gunshots.
The person who lives behind the shooter knew the person. If your friend came into your house, you would be like, 'Hey, man, what are you doing?' Why do you shoot him when you have a gun? How can this be considered self-defense?
The neighbor and King had cameras. Police have not released any video footage to the public or the family, but they have viewed all the videos at their disposal. The Crawford County Sheriff's Department said it will share the footage once the final case review is done.
The small town of Bourbon has been torn apart by King's death.
Since that, it's been crazy here. "We've never had anything like that in this small town since I've been here for 20 years," Earl said. We take care of each other here. It's been very quiet here. It was like a ghost town.
There is a history of threatening violence.
Three people who live in the park said the neighbor who shot King had threatened violence before.
The neighbor showed off his gun at the party she threw, according to Stiller.
She said that he never went anywhere without that belt.
Bosek said that King told her months before the shooting that the neighbor had threatened to shoot him.
Two months before this happened, Justin came over. He was like, "You know he was threatening to shoot me?" She said that the dude threatened to shoot her. He was a good guy. He would forgive people and keep going back.
The shooter had guns all over his house.
The last time I talked to the neighbor was at a Halloween party where he showed everyone his pistol. "He said, 'I don't fight anymore, I shoot the motherf---.'
King's father believes that the shooting was racially motivated and that his son was the only Black person in that trailer community.
The shooter was known to use racial slurs.
He was always open with the N-word. Stiller said that he never said "Black man".
He would use racial epithets. He wouldn't call it to me if he was standing around with me, because I would knock his a-- off.
The man who shot King has a criminal record. He was arrested in June of last year and charged with assault and intoxication.
Court records don't show if those charges were dropped. The Crawford County prosecutor's office did not respond to NBC News' request for comment on the charges.
According to the Giffords Law Center to prevent Gun Violence, federal law generally prohibits people from owning firearms if they have been convicted of a felony. Any person convicted of a felony in Missouri can't possess a firearm.
There was outrage over the handling of the case.
The day after his son's death, John King was angry to see sheriff's deputy escorting the shooter back to his trailer.
The family, along with local activists, are demanding a thorough investigation of the case.
Eva Bruns said she felt betrayed by the police. They're not being fair. I don't know if it's because of color or the way the killer is.
She said nothing had been done in the investigation. He was out of jail 24 hours later. I don't know what kind of justice that is.
The sheriff said in a statement that the information shared so far in the case is accurate in relation to the investigation and findings.
There is no evidence to support the idea that this was a racially motivated incident. We contacted the FBI and requested their help in processing some of the evidence.
The FBI in Missouri wouldn't comment on the case.
The family wants to know what happened in the lead up to King's death.
Chapel said that the King family wants to make sure whoever is responsible for their son's death is held accountable. We just want the truth to come out.
Chapel said, "I wouldn't rule anything out at this point."
There is a statewide issue of failing to investigate the deaths of Black men.
Chapel said that the lack of action in King's case is part of a statewide problem when it comes to investigating the deaths of African Americans.
The wrongful death suit was filed by the family of a black man who died in May of last year after a white law enforcement officer pressed his knee on his neck. Eric Schmitt did not file charges in his death.
On April 25th, Martin was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head at the home of a white man who had posted racist meme on social media. A jury of six people ruled in July that Martin was killed by violence, despite authorities concluding that he died by suicide.
Chapel said that it was Jim Crow justice. This is a statewide issue. They claim that there's an investigation, but then they produce the results of the investigation before it's over. What kind of police work is that?
The NAACP's travel advisory in Missouri remains in effect today and warns people to travel with caution because of race, gender and color-based crimes.
Chapel said that Missouri needs federal oversight to make sure that the rights of people regardless of skin color are respected by law enforcement.
The investigation into King's death is still open and evidence is being processed and sent off for analysis, according to the Crawford County Sheriff's Department. There will be follow-ups with witnesses and evidence collection after an informal case review was conducted with the Crawford County prosecutor's office.
