In the small community of Blackey, Kentucky, a 26-year-old white male named Zachary Douglas Back was fatally shot on the evening of November 6, 2020. The incident, which shattered the quiet of the rural town, was the culmination of a day-long verbal dispute that turned tragically violent. Kentucky State Police responded to a call of a shooting at a residence on KY-588 shortly before 9:00 P.M.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Back deceased from a single gunshot wound.
The investigation quickly centered on 37-year-old Chad Bolling, who was identified as the alleged shooter and located at a nearby home. The relationship between the two men added a layer of complexity to the tragedy, as Bolling was Back's former stepfather. According to police reports, the verbal altercation between Back and Bolling had festered throughout the day before escalating to a physical confrontation. Bolling claimed that the shooting was an act of self-defense. However, the investigation determined that Back was unarmed at the time of the shooting.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Bolling was arrested and lodged in the Letcher County Jail, facing charges of murder and first-degree wanton endangerment. The wanton endangerment charge stemmed from the presence of Back's mother, Jessica Bolling, who was also Bolling's ex-wife, in close proximity to her son when he was shot. The community was left to grapple with the shocking violence and the intricate family dynamics that played a role in the death of Zachary Back. The case proceeded through the justice system, with Detective Eric Caldwell of the Kentucky State Police leading the investigation into the tragic events of that November night.
