Investigators detail how argument allegedly about 'dog poop in basement' led to deadly shooting in Newport

A preliminary hearing was held in Campbell County Thursday afternoon for 25-year-old Isaac Hamilton, who is accused of shooting and killing his neighbor Damien Serrano. The shooting happened in Newport in the late-night hours of Oct. 23.

Investigators spent of the time in the courtroom Thursday detailing what led up to the deadly confrontation.

"They got into a verbal argument. That verbal argument had progressed to a simple misdemeanor assault," one investigator detailed.

Hamilton told police on the scene that after that argument, Serrano punched him in the genitals. Witnesses said the two men then separated and walked back to their homes while continuing to argue, before Hamilton allegedly went back inside his home and returned with a gun.

A witness on the scene recounted to investigators what happened next.

WATCH: Investigators detail how argument allegedly about dog poop led to a deadly shooting in Newport

"She heard Mr. Hamilton say, let's see who's big and tough now," an investigator recounted Thursday.

Hamilton told investigators that Serrano then came over and hit him in the face. When asked what injuries Hamilton had, investigators say Hamilton did not have any broken bones in his face or a black eye, but did appear to have redness in his face.

"The suspect stated that after the victim struck [Hamilton] in the face that he used his gun and fired twice up there," one investigator said Thursday. "We received a preliminary report from the coroner's office he was only shot once."

Serrano later died from his injuries at the hospital.

When investigators were asked what started the argument in the first place, they pointed to the origin of the dispute.

"There was speculation from Mr. Hamilton and other witnesses over, uh, dog poop in the basement," an investigator said.

There's no future court date currently set for Hamilton at this time, as his charge of felony murder awaits potential indictment from a grand jury. WCPO 9 News will keep you updated as we learn more.