Moberly man says he killed victim ‘because he was selling drugs to kids’

(AP) — A Moberly man pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the shooting death of a man who he believed was selling drugs to children, prosecutors said.

Jerry Fitzwater, 79, is charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in the shooting of 49-year-old Mitchell Nickerson on July 8 in Moberly.

Nickerson died a few days after he was shot.

According to a probable cause statement, Fitzwater told police he shot Nickerson because he believed Nickerson was selling drugs to children and he wanted to “take matters into his own hands,” KMIZ-TV reported.