Man charged with murder after shooting neighbor to death who tried to break up fight

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A neighbor was shot and killed when trying to break up a fight between two roommates at an apartment complex early Saturday morning in the Kingwood area, one of those roommates told ABC13.

This happened at the Cortland Town Center apartments in the 2700 block of Bens Branch, not far from West Lake Houston Parkway.

Logan Goldsmith told ABC13 that he was in the apartment when the shooting happened and was one of the people questioned by police.

Goldsmith says he and his roommate got into an argument when the neighbor from the unit below came upstairs to talk to them.

However, things soon got out of hand.

"It was an argument between me and him. The neighbor got in the middle between me and my roommate. And then, an altercation occurred. He tried to punch my roommate, and my roommate dodged it, and when he dodged it, he picked up the gun and shot him in the neck," Goldsmith described.

According to Goldsmith, the neighbor who was killed was a US Navy veteran and a father.

"He took his life. I saw his soul leave his body. I don't know how else to explain it," said Goldsmith of the victim's shooting. "He is a US Navy veteran and has a 15-year-old daughter who's fatherless right now. It's pretty hard for me."

Police later identified the victim as Patrick Gene Tobias.

ABC13 later found court records that say 20-year-old Tyler Binette was charged with murder in this incident.