A neighbor dispute over loud music in Oak Grove, Kentucky, ended in a fatal shooting on the morning of March 5, 2023. Dante DeWayne Welch, 43, was sitting in his vehicle in the driveway of his New Gritton Avenue home with his young child in the backseat when he was shot around 11:20 a.m. Welch suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police arrested 60-year-old neighbor Rodolfo Paz Amaya after a witness reportedly saw the shooting and officers recovered the suspected murder weapon in Amaya’s home. Amaya was charged with murder and first-degree wanton endangerment; his defense signaled a mental illness defense and a mental evaluation found him competent to stand trial. On January 17, 2025, Amaya pleaded guilty but mentally ill; sentencing was scheduled for March 12, 2025.

Welch, known as Boo, was a Hopkinsville native and father of four who worked at Aludyne Manufacturing in Clarksville and formerly at Electrolux in Springfield. He enjoyed fishing, traveling and spending time with family and friends. Does anyone have information about the ongoing tensions between the neighbors or knew Dante’s family?