City police have charged an Atmore man with last week’s shooting of another Atmore man on Patterson Street, and two other Atmore men were arrested for trying to help hide the weapon that was believed to have been used in the shooting.
Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said Gregory Ballard, 51, is believed to be the person who fired “several rounds” from a handgun “in the direction of the victim” as he chased the man through an apartment complex just before 6 p.m. last Wednesday, August 9.
The intended target of the gunfire, who was not identified by authorities, was taken by ambulance to Atmore Community Hospital, where he was reportedly treated for injuries that were not life-threatening and subsequently released.
Ballard was also charged with one count each of menacing, disorderly conduct and public intoxication. According to an employee of the Escambia County Detention Center, he remained in jail Tuesday morning under total bonds of $50,000.
Brooks said a small crowd had gathered along Patterson Street after someone “caught a snake, killed a snake or did something with a snake.”
Suddenly, Ballard walked into the crowd, brandishing a pistol, and accused a man of stealing his bicycle. The accused bicycle thief immediately took off running, with the gunman hot on his heels.
Police also arrested 47-year-old Eddie Tolbert and 44-year-old Kenyatta McCants after the investigation turned up evidence that each tried to help Ballard conceal the weapon.
Tolbert, who was freed after a $7,500 bond was posted on his behalf, is charged with one count each of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and tampering with evidence.
McCants is charged with one count each of felony possession of a firearm, tampering with evidence and public intoxication. He remained in the county jail, under a $10,000 bond, early Tuesday.