Rifle Shot Fired into County Vehicle in Courthouse Parking Lot, Accidentally, by Man in Lawyer’s Truck
November 17th, 2009 by Joe Burgess
Around 11 o’clock, Monday morning, as an attorney and his client were likely discussing their case before leaving the courthouse parking lot, the client reached into the back seat of the attorney’s pick-up truck to get a box.
When he moved the box, a 243 rifle, reportedly, accidentally fired, sending it’s bullet out the back passenger side of the attorney’s truck, and into the tailgate of the Drew County Environmental Enforcement vehicle, a Jeep Cherokee, parked next to the north entrance of the courthouse. Witnesses said that there were several rifles in the back of the vehicle.
Sources at the scene told MonticelloLive that both the man and the attorney drove away from the scene, waving to someone looking out of a second floor window, and saying, “sorry.” The occupants of the truck with the hole in it’s door, stated later that they were not aware that the noise they heard in the vehicle with them was a gunshot.
Since the incident involved a Drew County vehicle, the Arkansas State Police investigated the event. Both the attorney and his client returned to the scene. Neither man was cited, but charges are pending, based on the outcome of the investigation.
Damage to the County’s Jeep Cherokee includes the hole in the rear door, before the bullet continued on to strike the fuel tank. Whether the bullet is inside of the fuel tank, or if it then traveled on to cause more damage to the truck has not been determined at this time.
Reports indicate that both the attorney and his client are not from the Monticello area.
Bill Horn, the usual driver of the Jeep was inside the courthouse and was not involved in the incident in any way.
No one else was injured, except for the stress that soon follows hearing a gunshot in or near a public building, like a courthouse.
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Whew, Bill, that was a close one!! Glad you weren’t sitting in that vehicle!
why is an attorney at the courthouse with guns in the back of his truck?
A loaded gun in town ? A loaded gun next to the courthouse ? that is not RIGHT.
What will the charge be? Let’s see transportation of a loaded firearm, public indangerment, illegal discharge of a firearm. Beimg an attorney he should have took some time and attended an NRA corse in Firearms Handling and Saftey.
That is why you’re not supposed to ride around with loaded guns in your vehicles….
And supposedly this client was a licensed fire arm instructor?
Respnse: No, he was a client. Seriously.
What??? How can someone with “several rifles in the truck” not know what the sound was??? There is more problems to this than the recent incident if that is the case. Not only were there several rifles, but at least one that was loaded and obviously in the possesion of someone not qualified to carry it since the sound could not be determined….??!!
Then there is the issue of the guns by the Courthouse. If they didn’t know what the sound was then why did they leave and say “sorry”????
I hope something is done to correct the potential death that could have occurred with someone so careless with a LOADED gun. Let me guess, they had on “hunter’s orange” so every thing is okay and forgiven??!!! Yeah right.
Well Bill are you going to have that one mounted???? Did not know Jeep season had opened.
That’s funny…lol…client must have not been happy with how the case was going “reaching into the back for a box”? What kind of box? A gun case? heh heh heh
THIS IS HILARIOUS!! NOW IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS TO KNOW THAT WE’RE NOT TO HAVE LOADED FIREARMS IN THE VEHICLE.. ANYBODY WITH COMMON SENSE WOULD KNOW THAT!! NOW.. LET’S LOOK AT THIS.. RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT, CARRYING A LOADED FIREARM.. DISCHARGING A FIREARM IN THE CITY LIMITS.. THE LAWYER KNEW BETTER THAN TO CARRY THAT RIFLE LOADED IN THE TRUCK!! MAYBE HE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO TAKE THE HUNTER’S EDUCATION COURSE.. AS WELL AS BE FINED FOR THE OFFENSES..
Most attorneys probably NEED to carry a loaded gun.
you cant honestly tell me they did not know the sound of a 243 being fired inside a vehicle! And I’m not an expert, but even i know you don’t load a gun, until your ready to use it! I hope that there are charges brought up against the owner of the weapon and his attorney for allowing them to be in his vehicle. Two grown men should have known better. Thank God no one was hurt or worse.
A loaded gun at the courthouse with a client who by law at the time was not to be in possession of a firearm, who claims he is a firearm instructor, magically fired a shot that just about blew up a county vehicle AT THE COURTHOUSE, then they drive off and say they didnt hear it while saying sorry to second floor onlookers. That truck was just full of professional’s….and weapons!
Waiting on the outcome of this “Masterpiece”…it’s just a blessing no one was injured or possibly killed!!