On Jan. 25, at 10:48 p.m., deputies responded to the report of shots fired on Colton’s Point Road in Avenue.
Further information obtained revealed the complainants believed their vehicles were being burglarized and fired a shot at the alleged burglars who were driving away, and someone had been hit.
Deputies arrived on the scene and determined the following: Two men, in a silver Pontiac Grand Am, pulled into a driveway on Colton’s Point Road, which is the residence of James Elmer Lacey, 30. All parties know one another and are friends. The men stopped by Lacey’s residence unexpectedly. They knocked on Lacey’s door, beeped their car horn, and were talking in the driveway. When it became apparent no one was going to answer the door, they got back in their car to leave. They backed out of the driveway, and as they were pulling back onto Colton’s Point Road, a gunshot rang out in the direction of their vehicle. The vehicle was hit by projectiles fired from the residence.
The victim, who was seated on the driver’s side with the window down, was struck in the side of his head by a shotgun pellet. The shot man then sped off away from the residence towards Colton’s Point. A few minutes later he returned, and Lacey recognized him and the car. The driver who was shot called 911 to report the shooting.
Further investigation revealed: Elmer Lacey was awaken by voices outside his residence and believed his vehicle was being broken into. Elmer Lacey shot at the victim’s vehicle as it was pulling away from his residence. Lacey did not know the identity of the victim or the passenger when he fired the shot. James Elmer Lacey was arrested and charged with one count of reckless endangerment. The victim was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital where he was treated for his wound and released.