Deputies heard an argument before the call disconnected, and the wounded victim later identified the man authorities accuse of shooting him.

DOLAN SPRINGS, Ariz. — A 911 call that ended abruptly after an argument could be heard in the background sent Mohave County sheriff’s deputies to a rural Arizona property, where they found 70-year-old Willard Eugene Belt Jr. suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Belt survived long enough to speak with investigators, but later died at a Las Vegas hospital, authorities said.

Investigators say Belt’s account became a central part of a case that led them to Ronald Lee McKinnon, 35, who was taken into custody four days after the July 12 shooting. The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office said McKinnon was booked on homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault and weapons-related allegations stemming not only from Belt’s shooting but also from a separate confrontation reported the previous day. Two other people were arrested on suspicion of hindering prosecution. The sheriff’s office has said the investigation remains active, and the public reports reviewed for this story do not describe a plea or final resolution of the charges.

The first sign of trouble at Belt’s property came at about 5:25 a.m. July 12. According to the sheriff’s office, dispatchers received a 911 call in which they could hear an argument in the background. The connection then ended. Deputies went to the 10000 block of Earls Road in Dolan Springs and found Belt unresponsive after he had been shot several times. Emergency crews flew him to a hospital in Las Vegas, where doctors performed emergency surgery. Detectives remained at the property, served a search warrant and began collecting evidence while Belt was being treated.

Belt was able to communicate with detectives the following day, authorities said. He told investigators that McKinnon had come to the residence and that the two men became involved in a verbal dispute over property. Belt said McKinnon told him he was “going to have to kill him” before firing a weapon and striking him multiple times, according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities have not publicly explained what property was at issue, how long the disagreement had existed or what happened immediately before the alleged threat. The statement attributed to Belt is an allegation in an active criminal investigation, not a judicial finding that McKinnon committed the shooting.

Detectives were also examining another violent encounter that authorities said occurred one day earlier at a different Dolan Springs property. In that case, investigators said McKinnon was with Angela Nanette Baker, 60, at a home in the 15000 block of Jasper Drive when an argument began with a resident. McKinnon allegedly retrieved a .22-caliber rifle from a vehicle, fired at least one round into another vehicle on the property and then pointed the rifle toward residents. Authorities said he fired at least two additional rounds in their direction before the weapon malfunctioned. No injuries were reported in that confrontation.

That earlier episode became significant as detectives worked to reconstruct Belt’s shooting. The sheriff’s office said surveillance video supported the account of the Jasper Drive incident, and investigators found evidence indicating that the same caliber of ammunition was involved in the fatal shooting. Officials have not said publicly that the same firearm was conclusively identified as the weapon used in both incidents, nor have they released a complete forensic analysis. The reported caliber evidence and the separate shooting allegation nevertheless gave investigators another line of inquiry as they searched for McKinnon and examined his recent movements and associates.

By July 15, authorities had publicly identified McKinnon as the suspect in an attempted-homicide investigation and described him as armed and dangerous. Mohave Silent Witness offered a reward for information leading to his arrest. At that stage, Belt was still being treated for his injuries, and the case had not yet been publicly described as a homicide. Investigators said they contacted people connected with McKinnon and conducted surveillance of known associates. The search moved beyond Dolan Springs as detectives tried to locate both McKinnon and a gray Chrysler convertible that authorities associated with him and Baker after the earlier confrontation.

The search ended July 16 in Golden Valley, south of Dolan Springs. Investigators located the Chrysler at a residence on South Verde Road and surrounded the property, according to authorities. McKinnon, Baker and two other people came out and were detained without incident. The arrest marked a sharp change from the public warning issued during the search, when authorities had urged that McKinnon be considered armed and dangerous. Available reports do not describe officers firing weapons or anyone being injured during his capture. Investigators then continued searching the property and processing evidence connected with the case.

While deputies were carrying out their work in Golden Valley, detectives learned that Belt had died from his injuries at the Las Vegas hospital, authorities said. The death changed the legal posture of the case that had begun as an attempted-homicide investigation. The sheriff’s office said McKinnon was booked on allegations including homicide, attempted homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and misconduct involving weapons. The different allegations reflect the two encounters under investigation: the July 11 incident in which no one was injured and the July 12 shooting that ultimately resulted in Belt’s death.

Baker and John Allen Carlton, 45, of Golden Valley, were also taken to jail on suspicion of hindering prosecution, according to the sheriff’s office. Publicly released accounts have not detailed what either person allegedly did to hinder the investigation, and authorities have not accused either of shooting Belt. The fourth person detained when investigators secured the Golden Valley property was not identified in the reports reviewed for this story as someone facing charges. Those distinctions are important because an arrest or booking allegation does not establish guilt, and the evidence against each person must be considered separately through the criminal justice process.

The sequence described by investigators leaves several major questions unanswered. Authorities have not publicly identified the precise property at the center of Belt’s dispute with McKinnon. They have not released the full 911 recording or said who placed the call, and the available reports do not establish whether dispatchers heard gunfire before the connection ended. Investigators also have not publicly described all evidence collected under the search warrants or disclosed a final ballistic conclusion tying a particular weapon to Belt’s wounds. Belt’s statement, the circumstances observed when deputies arrived, evidence gathered at the properties and information from the separate Jasper Drive incident form the publicly known outline of the case.

More than a month after the shooting, the latest publicly available reports reviewed for this account still describe the investigation as ongoing. McKinnon is accused, not convicted, of the offenses announced after his arrest, and Baker and Carlton likewise remain entitled to the presumption of innocence on the hindering allegations. No subsequent public report located for this story provided a final case disposition. What began with a 911 dispatcher hearing an argument and then losing the call had, within days, become a homicide investigation spanning two alleged shootings, several properties and three arrests.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 23, 2026.