Who is Red Pettus in The Great Santini by Pat Conroy?

Red Pettus, who lives upriver from the main characters, is an extremely, unlikable bully. After being put in his place by Toomer, Red plans to pay Toomer back for the embarrassment by killing one of his dogs. Unfortunately, Red shoots Toomer instead of the dog, and in turn, the dogs attack Red and tear him apart.