ANSON (AP) – A man who said he told an acquaintance to leave and fired a warning shot before fatally shooting the man in self defense was charged with murder on Tuesday.

Gary Watland was charged at his home and taken to the Somerset County Jail, said state public safety spokesman Stephen McCausland. Watland was expected to appear today in Skowhegan District Court.

Watland, 42, admitted shooting Wayne Crowley, 32, but said he first fired a warning shot and warned Crowley to leave early Monday. “Once he attacked my wife, I’ve got to protect my family,” he said.

State police detectives conferred with the attorney general’s office and a decision was made to bring charges after Crowley died late Monday at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

Watland said Crowley had spent Sunday evening in his home and became belligerent and attacked Watland’s wife early Monday.

The episode unfolded after Crowley got into a fight with his own wife and Watland invited him to “come over here and chill out for a while.”

For a while, they drank beer and Crowley played the guitar. Around 1 a.m. Monday, however, after about 10 beers, Crowley became profane and verbally abusive toward Susan Watland, Gary Watland said.

Gary Watland said Crowley shoved his wife but that she managed to push Crowley out the door. Crowley tried to come back inside and punches were thrown and Crowley was pushed off the porch.

When Crowley tried for a second time to come inside, Watland said he got out his .38-caliber handgun. He said he warned Crowley to stay away, and then fired a warning shot before shooting him in the head.

Before his arrest, Gary Watland wept during an interview with the Morning Sentinel newspaper. “I left three kids without a father because I was protecting my wife,” Watland said.