JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Otis Anderson Sr. pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and attempted second degree murder charges in court Tuesday.
Anderson Sr. is accused of killing his own son after an argument escalated at their home on Nov. 29. Investigators said a bullet also grazed his wife, Denise.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Denise Anderson told police that her husband was bitten by their son’s girlfriend’s dog. She said it made Anderson Sr. upset, and that when their son, Anderson Jr., came downstairs to see what happened, an argument started.
Denise Anderson told investigators her son and husband got into another argument and looked as though they were going to fight. She said they separated, but Anderson Jr. and Sr. then met back inside the kitchen.
The next part of the police report was redacted, but it notes Anderson Jr. appeared to have been shot in his chest and back.
From the moment family and friends learned about what police reported, there was shock and outrage. Friends and teammates of Otis Anderson Jr. expressed their pain online and a call for justice.
In the police report, Anderson Sr. told investigators he shot his son in self-defense and later said if he could reverse his actions for his son to still be alive, he would.
Shannon Schott, an attorney not affiliated with the case, told News4JAX: “If this case went to trial they could argue justifiable use of force as an affirmative defense, which the defense would admit that the incident occurred but say that the defendant was justified with his use of force because he was reasonably in fear for his life or safety. He was protecting himself from serious bodily injury.”
Anderson Sr. will be back in court on Feb. 1.