Noah Clifton (Brown County Jail)
An Ohio man allegedly shot his grandparents on Wednesday night and shot his cousin in the face weeks after fantasizing about murdering his relatives while playing Fortnite on Xbox.
Noah Steven Clifton, a 24-year-old in Georgetown, is accused of opening fire at a Wahlsburg East Road residence located right across the street from West Fork Cemetery.
According to the Brown County Sheriff's Office, the call about the shooting came in a minute before 6:30 p.m., and the first law enforcement officer on scene was a Georgetown Police Department officer.
When the officer got to the home, Clifton was seemingly getting ready to leave, investigators said.
The suspect was "just outside of the residence standing near a vehicle that was running," the sheriff's office said.
"This individual was ordered to step away from the vehicle which he did. A handgun was observed on the ground near the subject," authorities continued. "The subject was taken into custody without incident."
Once Clifton was in custody, a Georgetown officer and a Brown County deputy immediately learned that two elderly victims had been shot at the residence.
Ralph Neff Sr., 81, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Margaret Neff, 76, was shot in the chest and abdomen. She had to be airlifted to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Zachary Neff, 30, was found alive at a residence next-door. He was also airlifted to be treated for a face wound.
The initial statement from the sheriff's office listed Margaret and Zachary's status as "unknown," and added that Clifton would be charged with two accounts of attempted murder and one count of murder.
Brown County Jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show, however, that Clifton was booked Thursday at 12:35 a.m. on two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault, suggesting that one of the two surviving victims died. Jail authorities did not confirm that another victim died but they did indicate the listed charges were accurate, local Fox affiliate WXIX reported.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Brown County Municipal Court, authorities received a 911 call from an uncle who reported his nephew Noah Clifton shot the caller's mother.
The statements of facts said that investigators spoke with Zachary Neff before he was taken to the hospital.
"[Redacted] stated that he and his grandparents were sitting in the living room watching television when Noah came into the room and started shooting," court documents said. "[Redacted] told me very clearly that it was Noah that had shot him in the face."
The suspect allegedly told a detective that "a couple weeks prior he was fantasizing about killing his grandparents while playing Xbox," specifically Fortnite.
"He stated that there was a character in Fort Night [sic] that was dressed like an older lady and he was killing her in the game," documents said. "He stated that in the last month he had purchased ammunition and two magazines."
The suspect allegedly denied shooting anyone and claimed he fired five gunshots outside of the home.
"When asked about the shooting, he denied shooting anyone, and stated that had only 5 shots outside the residence and when he walked inside the residence his grandmother [redacted] asked him 'why?'" court docs said. "[H]e replied, 'because I can,' and walked back out."
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