Dispute between neighbors has deadly end

There is no question two households in the 8400 block of Carpenter in the Gresham neighborhood did not like each other.

In one house an off-duty officer identified by family as Courtney Hill and his wife Cathy, in the other, 86-year-old Joe Huff JR. and his wife Hazel.

Fraternal order of police spokesperson Pat Camden says the two women were fighting when one through some dirt at the other. Then both husbands come see what is going on.

“The elderly offender’s wife keeps telling him ‘go in the house and get that thing, get that thing,’ one thing leads to another the next thing we know the elderly gentleman comes out of the house with a shotgun fires hits the officer’s wife in the arm.

We’re told she’s in critical condition. After she was hit Camden says the off-duty officer then shot and killed Joe Huff and told Huff’s wife not to pick up his shotgun.

“The officer tells her numerous times do not touch that gun, she goes down and fires at her.”

Hazel was hit twice-once in the hand and foot she was also taken to the hospital her condition is unknown. Her nephews spoke with us hours after the shooting.

Tyrone Handy says, “I don’t think whatever happened should gun shots and life taken.”

They say she was likely trying to protect her husband.

Throughout the evening, Huff’s family showed up to hear the news of his death.

Huffs family says the officer and his wife are to blame in this case. They point to a neighbor who says she called 9-1-1 when she heard yelling, she didn’t want to be identified.

“The minute a shot gun gets involved and someone pulled the trigger it’s gone from a simple dispute to a tragedy.