Man charged in triple-shooting to appear in court

William Woodward arrested on murder charged in Titusville

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – The man who is accused of shooting and killing one man and seriously injuring others in a Titusville neighborhood dispute is expected to appear in court.

Gary Lee Hembree, 39, of Titusville, was shot multiple times in his yard on Smith Drive and was pronounced dead at the scene.

William T. Woodward, 44, of Titusville, was arrested on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder in the shooting, which occurred around 12:30 a.m. Woodward is expected to have his first appearance on Tuesday afternoon.

Roger Picior, 44, and Bruce Timothy Blake, 49, both of Titusivlle, were airlifted to a hospital after being shot multiple times.  Picior was very seriously injured, according to police, who said Blake was expected to survive.

According to Titusville police, Woodward shot and killed Hembree before opening fire on the other two in the neighboring yard.

Investigators believe Hembree was heckling Woodward the previous evening, yelling insults about him as part of an ongoing dispute.

None of the victims had a gun, according to detectives, who added that Woodward reloaded his handgun during the incident.

Woodward waited at the scene for police to arrive and surrendered.

Titusville police said officers had responded numerous times to ongoing disputes between Hembree and Woodward, offering to host meetings at police headquarters.

Police said Hembree and Woodward went to court Aug. 29 and several Titusville officers showed up to testify at the hearing, presided over by Judge Dean Moxley. The officers were not called upon by the judge and no injunction was issued, police said.

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