Florida deputy dies from gunshot wound after apparent dispute over shot cat

A Florida deputy has died one day after trying to resolve a spat between neighbors over a shot cat, authorities said.

Highlands County Sheriff's Deputy William Gentry was shot in the head when he showed up at 69-year-old Joseph Edward Ables' doorstep in Lake Placid, Florida, around 7:45 p.m. Sunday, according to HCSO Sheriff Paul Blackman.

That day, Gentry, 40, a field-training officer, was being shadowed by a deputy-in-training to investigate "a call about a neighbor dispute over a cat that was shot, possibly by a neighbor," authorities said in an incident statement.

The deputies confronted Ables, who allegedly shot Gentry before he was brought under arrest.

Gentry was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital, where he died Monday.

"It is with tremendous sadness that we report that Deputy William J. Gentry Jr. passed away at 1:10 p.m. today, May 7," read a post on the law enforcement agency's Facebook page. "Please keep his family and our HCSO family in your prayers. We will release details about the services as soon as we have them."

A subsequent post shows a Highlands County Sheriff's Office star-shaped shield with a purple stripe over it to symbolize mourning.

"This is an unimaginable tragedy for our agency," Blackman said.

Gov. Rick Scott also weighed in on Twitter, calling the the death of a law enforcement officer "pure evil" and warning "we won't stand for it."

Ables faces first-degree murder and weapons charges, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence and violating his probation, according to jail records.

It's unclear whether he has an attorney.