PREVIOUS COVERAGE | East Manatee man dead after fight over goat

MYAKKA — In rural Manatee on Tuesday, a family fight over a goat and other animals ended with a 77-year-old man shooting his son-in-law to death in the family’s kitchen, according to authorities.

The shooting of 43-year-old Wilson Ngov took place with two children in the Myakka home he shared with his father-in-law in the 44000 block of State Road 70 East, about five miles west of the DeSoto County line.

Ngov’s father-in-law, Lim Chhea, has been arrested on a charge of murder, according to Manatee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dave Bristow. He was being held without bond this morning at the Manatee County jail.

At about 4 p.m., deputies and Myakka City firefighters responded to the home after a 911 call reporting the shooting. Bristow said deputies found Chhea in the home, along with Ngov, who had a fatal gunshot wound from a handgun.

Two children, ages 5 and 12, and the wives of both men, who are of Cambodian descent, were removed from the home by sheriff’s victim’s advocates. No one else was injured.

Detectives interviewed the wives and the children, who gave initial reports that Chhea had been fighting with his son-in-law about animals on their large property, specifically a goat, according to Bristow.

“We were told they just kept arguing and arguing until it escalated into this,” Bristow said.

The shooting took place in an area of Manatee County where houses are spread apart by miles. Dozens of emergency workers and sheriff’s deputies responded to the property, which appeared to be numerous acres. The family’s house, which is set off from the highway by a long winding dirt road, had crime scene tape around it.

The elements caused problems for responding Myakka City firefighters as a fire truck got stuck in mud on property saturated by rain throughout the day.

Detectives spent numerous hours seeking a search warrant for the home in order for crime scene technicians to process evidence from the shooting. The children, a boy and girl, were interviewed by detectives, and a victim’s advocate could be seen giving the girl a teddy bear.

Bristow said reports from family members that the violence stemmed from a fight over a goat were vague, and more investigation will be done to learn more about Ngov’s killing.

“We hope to learn more when we can interview everyone again in the coming days. Obviously, the family is extremely traumatized,” he said.