A fatal shooting Saturday afternoon near Loveland was the result of an argument between neighbors, according to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

The shooting at 5:15 p.m. is not believed to be related to a recent spate of random shootings in Northern Colorado, a Larimer County sheriff’s spokesman said.

Deputies and officers from the Loveland Police Department responded to the 5600 block of Thomas Court, near Horseshoe Lake, on a report of a shooting inside a house. Eric Gray, 36, was taken into custody, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook posting, and deputies found another man dead. Gray is being held at the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office jail on investigation of first-degree murder. The name of the man killed has not been released.

“This unfortunate, isolated situation is the result of one neighbor being unable to communicate appropriately with another,” Lt. John Feyen said, according to the release.

“Engaging a mediator to help reduce tensions and de-escalate disagreements is always preferred to avoid such tragic results,” Feyen said.

Loveland police said late this week that they were investigating possible connections between the fatal shooting Wednesday night of a man near his house and two other shootings in recent months that appeared to be random. A Windsor town employee in May was shot twice, killing him, while he was bicycling along a county road. And in April, a woman survived a gunshot to the neck while she was driving on I-25.

Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dpmcghee