WATCH LIVE: News conference about death of Highlands County deputy

Deputy William J. Gentry Jr.

A Florida sheriff's deputy died Monday, one a day after he was shot in the head while responding to a dispute over a cat.

A Highlands County Sheriff's Office Facebook post says Deputy William Gentry passed away Monday afternoon. He had been critically wounded Sunday night while responding to a dispute between neighbors over a cat that had been shot.

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Sheriff Paul Blackman told reporters that after speaking with the cat's owner, Gentry approached the suspect, 69-year-old Joseph Edward Ables, at his Lake Placid front door.

Blackman said Ables then shot Gentry in the head. The 40-year-old deputy was airlifted to a Fort Myers hospital.

Ables was held without bond on charges that include attempted first-degree murder and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. The deputy's death will likely bring new charges.