A confrontation at Simpson Park in Gainesville, Georgia, on the afternoon of Sunday, December 21, 2025, ended in a deadly shooting. Seventy-year-old Terry Wayne Loden was walking his mixed-breed dog Jesse with his wife near Lake Lanier when they encountered 52-year-old Todd Alexander Stalcup, who was walking a Shih Tzu. The dogs began fighting and the owners tried to separate them; Loden was reportedly on the phone with his granddaughter at the time.

Investigators and witnesses say Stalcup produced a handgun and first fired at Loden’s dog, killing Jesse. When Loden stood and confronted Stalcup, the man allegedly fired again, striking Loden. Deputies arrested Stalcup about 15 minutes later after intercepting his SUV; Loden was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in critical condition and later died. Stalcup was booked on malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. Authorities did not charge him in the dog’s death, citing a possible defense relating to his own pet.

If anyone witnessed the shooting at Simpson Park, knew either man, or has video from the area that could help, please share that information with Hall County authorities.