Suspect Huey Nichols.

An Athens man died Thursday morning after going to his elderly neighbor’s house and getting shot through the screen door, according to police.

The elderly man, Huey Edward Nichols, 85, has been charged with murder and is currently in the Henderson County Jail.

The victim went to the home in the 14000 block of VZCR 4811 in Henderson County to see how his neighbor, Nichols, was doing, according to sheriff’s investigator Daniel Wright.

Members of the victim’s family said they often stopped by the neighbor’s house unannounced to make sure he was OK, so this was not something uncommon.

Upon arriving at the house, the victim was shot in the upper abdomen by Nichols with a .38-caliber revolver, according to Sheriff Botie Hillhouse. The victim was taken to a Tyler hospital in critical condition where he later died.

The suspect said he felt threatened and that is why he shot, but there were no signs of forced entry or a struggle.

The Henderson County District Attorney’s Office, the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers are assisting the sheriff’s office with the investigation.