Man shot at, arrested after pointing BB gun at APD officer
By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
An Atmore man remained behind county bars but unhurt as midweek approached after he pointed a weapon that turned out to be a BB gun at a city police officer Saturday night (October 10) in a dark location along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
Police Chief Chuck Brooks said Monday that Derek Deon Dixon, 33, was arrested shortly after he pointed the gun at the officer, who fired at least twice as Dixon ran away.
“Unfortunately, whenever he pointed the gun, the officer did fire a couple of rounds,” said Brooks, who added that the officer’s action is under investigation, standard procedure for all incidents during which a law enforcement officer uses his or her weapon.
Brooks said late Saturday that police dispatchers received a report of a person with a gun near Bragg Street Apartments. The report was received around 8:30 p.m.
One of several patrol officers who responded made contact with “an individual who was armed with what appeared to be a firearm.” The unidentified suspect pointed the firearm, later determined to be an air gun, at the officer, prompting the policeman to unholster and fire his sidearm as the suspect, later identified as Dixon, fled on foot.
Police closed off a portion of MLK after the incident, placing yellow crime scene tape across the busy street and diverting traffic around the shooting site. Dixon was located and taken into custody about an hour after the incident.
Escambia County Detention Center records show that Dixon remained in the facility, with no bond, late Monday afternoon. He is charged with two counts of making terroristic threats, two counts of menacing and one count of fleeing or eluding police.
Dixon is no stranger to the county lock-up. Jail records show that he has been in and out of the facility for the past several years.
Good luck seemed to abound in relation to the incident. The officer was lucky the gun pointed at him was not a lethal weapon; Dixon was lucky the officer’s bullets did not find their mark; bystanders and nearby residents were lucky that no stray bullets struck them.
“He (Dixon) was definitely a threat to the community,” Brooks said. “Thank goodness nobody was injured.”