Coloradan who shot neighbor over squirrel-feeding dispute found guilty of attempted murder, assault

BOULDER, Colo. – A Boulder County jury found the man accused of shooting his neighbor amid a dispute over squirrel-feeding guilty of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault Friday.

Attorneys for 60-year-old Jon Barbour had argued he was acting in self-defense when he shot his neighbor, Jeffrey Browning, in the back in May 2016.

Barbour started feeding peanuts to squirrels in the neighborhood in order to reconnect with his dead parents, he claimed.

But his actions angered some neighbors, who claimed they had peanut allergies, and Barbour accused Browning of taking down fliers Barbour had put up explaining his reasoning for feeding the squirrels.

The shooting happened shortly after the fliers were removed.

Barbour remains in Boulder County’s custody without bond. He is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 3, according to the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.