A Dayton man has been indicted for the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old landscaper following an argument over grass clippings on a car.
According to Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck Jr., 36-year-old Travis Daniel Jackson was indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges, including two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, one count of involuntary manslaughter, and one count of discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises. Each count carries a three-year firearm specification.
The charges stem from a shooting that occurred on September 18, 2025, on Indiana Avenue in Dayton. Police say Jackson became angry after landscapers working nearby got grass clippings on his parked car. Witnesses told investigators that the workers offered to clean the vehicle, but before they could do so, Jackson pulled out a 9mm handgun and shot 22-year-old Tanner Staggs of Eaton.
Officers with the Dayton Police Department responded to the scene around 11:15 a.m. and found Staggs suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
“This case is a tragic example of how a minor dispute can turn deadly,” said Prosecutor Heck. “It is unimaginable that someone would fatally shoot another person over something as insignificant as grass clippings on a car.”
Jackson is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1 million bond and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.
Dunham’s Lawn Care LLC, the company Staggs worked for, released a statement calling the incident a “senseless act of violence” and described Staggs as a hardworking and positive young man. A GoFundMe page set up to help with funeral expenses has raised more than $30,000.
The investigation is ongoing.