POLK COUNTY, Fla. -- The Polk County sheriff said a misunderstanding about the whereabouts of a dog named 'Princess' led to three men getting shot in Fort Meade.
- 911 call released in Fort Meade triple shooting
- 1 dead, 2 still in critical condition
- Dog recovered about 7 miles away from shooting scene
- PREVIOUS: Detectives: Argument over missing pit bull led to Fort Meade shooting
Sheriff Grady Judd's update Thursday came on the same day the 911 call was released in the case.
One of the men -- 22-year-old Tyre McDonald -- died from his gunshot injury.
The other two men -- 30-year-old Calvin Johnson and 18-year-old Edward Burgess -- are in critical condition.
Judd said Thursday it appears that homeowner Charles Peddycoart, 48, acted lawfully when he shot the men.
The sheriff said the men confronted Peddycoart on his porch on 3rd Street SW. The men believed Peddycoart had Calvin Johnson's dog.
Peddycoart told detectives he warned the men who were aggressively confronting him.
"Charles puts his hands underneath his shirt and tells the people, 'You get off my porch. I've got a gun,'" Judd said.
"Then it's reported to us that Tyre pats his pants and says, 'That's alright, dog. I've got one too.'"
Peddycoart's' girlfriend was also on the porch and called 911.
During that call, you can hear the woman tell the men they don't have the dog.
"We don't know it's your dog. We didn't touch your dog," the woman said before screaming could be heard.
The screaming escalated for about 20 seconds before Peddycoart says he was forced to shoot the men because they were coming at him. The 911 call picked up those shots.
Judd said the horrible event should've never happened.
"We have one young man that's dead and two that are just barely clinging to life in critical condition at the hospital. All over Calvin thinking they took his dog," Judd said.
The sheriff said a 15-year-old boy found the dog outside a store, thought it was a stray, and took it home. The dog was recovered at the teen's home more than seven miles away from Peddycoart's porch.