DOLAN SPRINGS, AZ – Deputies responding early Sunday to the 10000 block of Earls Road found Willard Eugene Belt Jr., 70, “shot several times” after a caller reported a disturbance. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said the call came in around 5:25 a.m., and “an argument could be heard in the background” before the line disconnected.
Belt was “unresponsive” when deputies arrived and was flown to a hospital in Las Vegas for emergency surgery. Investigators later said he was able to provide a statement the following day as they began piecing together what happened.
Investigation details and victim statement
According to the sheriff’s office, Belt told investigators that Ronald McKinnon, 35, “had come to the residence” and began arguing with him “over property.” During the confrontation, McKinnon allegedly told Belt he was “going to have to kill him” before firing a rifle and striking the victim multiple times.
Detectives executed a search warrant at the property and collected evidence while also working to locate McKinnon. Authorities said they “conducted surveillance of known associates of McKinnon” as part of the investigation.
Additional shooting incident and arrest
Investigators said that on Saturday, McKinnon was located at another residence with 60-year-old Angela Baker, where a second incident unfolded. During an argument with another resident, McKinnon allegedly retrieved a .22 rifle from his vehicle and fired “at least one round into a vehicle on the property and then pointed the rifle at the residents, firing at least two additional rounds toward them,” according to authorities. The weapon malfunctioned, and no one was injured.
McKinnon and Baker then left the scene in a gray Chrysler convertible, investigators said.
On Thursday, deputies located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Four people exited the car, including McKinnon and Baker, and all were detained. Around that time, detectives learned that Belt had “succumbed to his injuries” at the hospital in Las Vegas.
McKinnon now faces multiple charges, including attempted homicide, homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and misconduct involving weapons. He was booked into jail along with Baker and 45-year-old John Carlton, who each face a charge of hindering prosecution.
