Police charged a Clarkesville man with aggravated assault and weapons violations Sunday after he confronted a jogger with a gun at the Clarkesville Greenway. Officers say 78-year-old Robert Kilgore fired the gun into the ground during the encounter.
According to the complaint, 69-year-old James Watson of Clarkesville told police he was running in the Soque Village neighborhood around 11 a.m. Sunday, March 14, when a resident, later identified as Kilgore, confronted him. He says the older man yelled at him and told him he was on private property and did not belong there.
Watson says he told the man he would ‘see him tomorrow’ and continued jogging into the Clarkesville Greenway trail area. Kilgore told police he got in his vehicle to locate the jogger and talk with him. When he saw Watson running in the Greenway, he got out of his vehicle and confronted him again, telling Watson he wanted to speak with him.
According to Kilgore’s statement to police, Watson told him, “Catch me if you can.” That’s when both men say Kilgore pulled out a handgun and pointed it at Watson. Watson told Kilgore to “put the gun down,” at which point Kilgore admits he fired a shot into the ground approximately 30-feet to the right of Watson. Another man at the scene told police he did not see the shooting but heard the gunshot. He said he saw a man fitting Kilgore’s description walking back to a silver Tacoma pickup truck.
As a result of the incident, police arrested and charged Kilgore with aggravated assault, reckless conduct, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime.
“This is a place designated for citizens to enjoy peaceful recreation without fear; a local quiet place for families to take their children and enjoy nature,” says Clarkesville Police Chief Brad Barrett of the Greenway, which is located adjacent to the Old Clarkesville Mill off of Historic U.S. Highway 441. “Being angry with someone does not constitute the need to confront another with a firearm, brandish a firearm, and it certainly doesn’t constitute discharging a firearm.”
“I would ask that if anyone has a conflict with someone that is rapidly evolving, especially to the point of an escalation of violence, to please make every possible effort to remove themselves from the situation and call 911.”
Barrett says Kilgore does have a license to carry a gun. The Police Chief says he supports Second Amendment rights but urges gun owners to use sound judgment. “Only use such for personal protection against a deadly threat – and we must always remain vigilant of our surroundings any time we make the decision to deploy such.”
Soque Village is a gated community, but Barrett says non-residents have been allowed to run and walk there in the past. He says the subdivision recently began enforcing its no trespassing rule.
This article has been updated with additional information
