DAYTON, OH — A 36-year-old Dayton man has been indicted for murder after allegedly shooting and killing a young landscaper during a dispute over grass clippings on his car, prosecutors confirmed.
Travis Daniel Jackson, 36, is accused of fatally shooting 22-year-old Tanner Staggs, of Eaton, on the morning of September 18, 2025, while Staggs was working with a landscaping crew on Indiana Avenue.
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According to the Dayton Police Department, officers responded to reports of a shooting just after 11:15 a.m. and found Staggs suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
Witnesses told investigators that Jackson became enraged after grass clippings from the landscaping crew’s work landed on his vehicle, which was parked on the street. Although the crew offered to blow the clippings off immediately, Jackson allegedly pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot Staggs before calmly returning to his house.
A Montgomery County Grand Jury has since indicted Jackson on multiple charges, including:
Two counts of Murder
Two counts of Felonious Assault
One count of Involuntary Manslaughter
One count of Discharging a Firearm on or Near Prohibited Premises
Each charge carries a three-year firearm specification, prosecutors said.
Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr. condemned the senseless act, stating,
“It is unimaginable that someone would become so upset about grass clippings on their car that they would fatally shoot someone. Using a firearm to settle minor disputes is never acceptable.”
Jackson remains in custody at the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on October 23, 2025.
In the wake of the tragedy, Dunham’s Lawn Care LLC, Staggs’ employer, released a heartfelt statement mourning their team member:
“Tanner always had a positive attitude, was patient and understanding, and a leader among our crew. He was a young man with so much life ahead of him.”
A GoFundMe page set up to support Staggs’ funeral expenses and family has already raised more than $30,000, as friends, co-workers, and community members continue to grieve the loss of a kind and hardworking young man whose life was cut short in an act of senseless violence.