Investigators say statements from a roommate and neighbor matched evidence found inside the Hillsboro home.
HILLSBORO, Mo. — Witness statements and evidence from a searched home are central to the case against a Missouri man accused of shooting a woman during an argument over her barking dog, authorities said.
Frank Forshee, 65, is charged in Jefferson County with first-degree domestic assault causing serious physical injury, armed criminal action and unlawful possession of a firearm. The case stems from a May 3 shooting at a home on Klondike Road near Hillsboro. Investigators say the woman was shot once and survived. Forshee was arrested after a search and is being held without bond.
The first major account came from a man who lived in the home with Forshee and the woman. He told investigators that Forshee had been acting erratically in the days before the shooting and said Forshee had been on a meth bender and appeared to be suffering from mental health issues. The witness also described a warning sign from the night before the shooting. He said Forshee threatened the woman with a gun and fired a round into the floor of the home. Those details became part of the probable cause statement used to support the charges filed after Forshee was taken into custody.
The same witness placed the May 3 argument inside a room used as both a living room and the woman’s bedroom. Investigators said Forshee was upset because the woman’s dog would not stop barking. According to the affidavit described in reports, Forshee first threatened the woman with a small silver pocket knife. He then went back to his bedroom and returned with a dark .22-caliber revolver with a wooden handle. The woman was on her bed holding the dog when a single round was fired. Authorities said the bullet struck her in the abdomen and exited into her left calf.
The second major account came from a neighbor. Investigators said the neighbor reported that Forshee walked onto the neighbor’s property with a gun matching the description given by the witness from the home. The neighbor told investigators that Forshee said he had been holding the firearm during an argument with the woman and had tried to hit the dog with the gun when the round discharged. That account did not remove the criminal allegation. Instead, it gave investigators another statement tying Forshee, the firearm, the dog and the shooting together after the woman and the other resident had left the home and called 911.
The physical evidence also mattered. The probable cause statement said the residence was processed and searched, and that the crime scene and evidence were consistent with witness statements. Authorities have not released a full inventory of what was found. They have not publicly said whether the firearm was recovered, whether shell casings or bullet damage were documented, or whether the earlier shot into the floor was matched to the same weapon. Still, the sheriff’s office and prosecutors moved forward with felony charges after detectives reviewed the statements, the woman’s injury and the condition of the home.
Investigators also relied on statements they say Forshee made after leaving the property. As detectives worked the case, they learned that Forshee had contacted a family member and made comments that he would not go to prison and might harm himself. Negotiators reached him by text or cellphone while officers were searching for him. Authorities said he wrote that he would make the news and that law enforcement should come find him. Detectives continued communicating with him during the search. Sheriff Dave Marshak said they were able to build rapport and persuade him to surrender peacefully.
The search focused on the area around the Klondike Road home. Authorities said Forshee fled after the shooting and hid in a wooded area. Deputies, detectives and SWAT team members spent several hours looking for him. That setting made the case more than a standard response to a domestic assault call. Officers were searching for a man accused of recently firing a gun, while also handling information that he might harm himself. Forshee was taken into custody May 4 without incident. Officials said he was then transported to an area hospital for a medical procedure unrelated to the shooting investigation.
Forshee was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on May 7, where he remained held without bond. The charges filed against him carry serious consequences if prosecutors prove them. First-degree domestic assault causing serious physical injury alleges a violent attack on a domestic victim. Armed criminal action is a separate Missouri charge tied to the use of a dangerous weapon during a felony. The unlawful possession of a firearm charge indicates prosecutors believe Forshee was barred from having a gun. Public reports did not provide a detailed court calendar or say whether he had a defense lawyer.
The case also includes facts that remain unknown or unconfirmed in public reports. The woman’s identity has not been released. Authorities have not said whether she and Forshee were relatives, partners, roommates or connected in another domestic relationship beyond living in the same home. The dog’s condition has not been disclosed. Investigators have not released the full text messages, the complete probable cause statement or all recorded statements. What has been made public is the framework prosecutors are expected to use: a prior gun threat, a knife threat, a single gunshot, a neighbor account, a searched scene and a surrender after negotiation.
Forshee’s case remained pending in Jefferson County as of the latest public reports. The next answers are expected through court records, including any plea entry, bond review, preliminary hearing or additional filings from prosecutors.
Author note: Last updated June 1, 2026.