A dispute between two men in Branson, Missouri, ended in a fatal shooting on June 26, 2024. At about 2:00 p.m. deputies responded to a residence on Cannonball Loop after an argument between 27-year-old James Anderson and 36-year-old Mitchell Hale. Deputies had earlier advised both men to stay away from each other, but the conflict resumed later when Anderson reportedly followed Hale into Hale’s apartment. Inside the residence Hale allegedly shot Anderson in the head; deputies found Anderson with a gunshot wound and he was later pronounced dead.

A folding knife was recovered in Anderson’s pocket, and authorities said there was no indication he posed an immediate threat to Hale at the time of the shooting. Hale was arrested at the scene and charged with second-degree murder; he is being held in Taney County Jail without bond. James Austin Anderson was born January 23, 1997, in Roseville, California, and lived much of his life between California and Lebanon, Missouri, working in construction and enjoying fishing, woodworking and hunting for arrowheads. The investigation remains open.

Who has information about the events leading up to June 26 that could help the investigation?