Anti-Donald Trump campaigner 'shoots Republican neighbour twice in the head'

Clayton Carter's front garden filled with signs criticising President

Clayton Carter, left, has been charged with murdering his neighbour George Jennings

An anti-Donald Trump campaigner has been charged with murdering his Republican neighbour after a series of disputes boiled over into violence.

Clayton Carter allegedly shot George Jennings twice in the head after a row, reportedly the latest in a string of confrontations that had seen the police called dozens of times over several years.

It happened after an argument about a spotlight, US media said, but Mr Carter's lawyer said his client acted in self-defence after being threatened with a knife.

Mr Carter's front garden was filled with anti-Donald Trump signs, ABC 6 reported, while Mr Jennings was a member of the local Republican Party committee. Both were 51.

But it was not claimed their political views were a cause of the killing.

One neighbour said of Mr Carter: "We steered clear of him. We were frightened of him because he's so unpredictable."

Police said he had argued with other neighbours and had previously threatened Mr Jennings with a gun.

"My client says he was justified in doing so because he was under attack by a knife wielding assailant," lawyer Terrence Marlowe told ABC 6.