Splendora Man Charged With Murder After Fatal Shooting Following Dispute

SPLENDORA, Texas – A Splendora man has been charged with murder after a fatal shooting Thursday evening in eastern Montgomery County, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies with the sheriff’s office East Command Patrol, along with officers from the Splendora Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety, responded around 5 p.m. May 21 to the 15800 block of East Relza Drive in Splendora after receiving reports of an assault involving a firearm.

Authorities said deputies found 41-year-old William Warhol III suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Investigators said deputies immediately began lifesaving efforts, but Warhol was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect was identified as 42-year-old Eric Ross Fergeson, who was taken into custody and booked into the Montgomery County Jail on a murder charge.

According to preliminary findings, investigators believe the victim and suspect knew one another and shared mutual friends, relatives, and acquaintances.

Authorities said the shooting may have stemmed from tensions connected to an unrelated vehicle crash earlier in the day. Investigators said the confrontation began as a verbal dispute before escalating into violence.

Major Crimes detectives and Crime Scene Investigators with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office continue to investigate the case.

The sheriff’s office extended condolences to the Warhol family.