Police arrested a convicted felon after an accidental shooting this morning at an apartment complex in Baldwin.
Baldwin Police Chief Charlie Webb says a male juvenile called Habersham 911 around 12:15 a.m. to report people were after him. He told the 911 operator he had a gun that accidentally went off.
Webb says the caller also told the dispatcher he’d been using drugs.
Officers responded to the scene in the 100 block of Heritage Garden Apartments.
“Upon the officers’ arrival, they made contact with the subject, who appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamines,” says Chief Webb. He says the juvenile was talking incoherently and was paranoid. “He advised officers that he was not willing to talk to them because ‘people were listening.'”
Webb says the juvenile admitted to using marijuana, methamphetamine, and other “unknown” pills.
During the investigation, officers discovered the juvenile shot a recliner inside an apartment. Officials recovered a 20 gauge shotgun and a spent 20 gauge shotgun shell from the unit. Police traced the gun back to the apartment tenant, identified as 26-year-old Zachary Smith. They charged Smith with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as well as numerous drug violations.
Officers booked Smith into the Habersham County jail. His bond was set at $15,550, according to online jail records.
Authorities are withholding the juvenile’s name because of his age, which they also have not released. Police turned the boy’s case over to the Juvenile Justice Department.
