Ark. Man Fatally Shot In Truck; Toddler Found Safe

Police say a Viola man was fatally shot in the cab of his truck at close range while his 2-year-old son sat strapped in a safety seat.

Police say 33-year-old Joseph L. Clifton had just picked up his son Thursday afternoon when he was fatally shot. The boy was not harmed.

Police arrested Richard T. Gordon of Viola on suspicion of first-degree murder. Fulton County Sheriff Walter Dillinger says Clifton and Gordon had been engaged in a land dispute.

Gordon's wife told authorities that Gordon said he went to Clifton's house to "throw tacks in the driveway," according to an affidavit. According to police, Gordon said he shot Clifton in self-defense and that he did not call for help for the child because he was scared.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)