In Dothan, Alabama, on the evening of Sunday, August 20, 2023, a dispute between two men who lived at the same residence escalated into a fatal encounter. Keith Atkins, a 61-year-old Black male, was shot and killed in the front yard of a home in the 800 block of S. Appletree Street. The incident, which was reported to the Dothan Houston County 911 Center at approximately 5:05 PM, brought a swift response from local law enforcement and emergency services.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Atkins with a single gunshot wound to the head. Dothan Fire and Rescue personnel assessed his condition and pronounced him deceased at the scene.
The investigation into the shooting led Dothan Police to identify Arthur Lee Wilson Jr., 53 years old, as the suspect. According to police reports, the two men had been involved in a physical altercation shortly before the shooting. After the physical confrontation ended, Wilson allegedly began firing a weapon at Atkins, striking him. Both men resided at the location where the shooting took place, though the specific cause of their initial dispute has not been publicly released. Several individuals who were present at the scene were detained by police for questioning to piece together the events that led to the deadly shooting.
Following the initial investigation and interviews, Arthur Lee Wilson Jr. was arrested and faced multiple charges. He was charged with one count of murder, with his bond set at $1.5 million. In addition to the murder charge, a search warrant executed at the residence uncovered multiple firearms in Wilson's bedroom. Two of these weapons were confirmed to have been stolen, leading to two additional charges of receiving stolen property in the second degree, with a bond of $30,000 for these offenses. One of the firearms recovered is believed to be the weapon used in the altercation that resulted in Keith Atkins' death.
