COLMESNEIL – A Colmesneil man was arrested last week and is charged with a felony child endangerment charge after an incident at Windmill Estates, near Colmesneil.
According to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford, deputies with the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, as well as troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety, were on the scene, and made contact with William Ray Gilmore, Jr., age 33, whom Weatherford said was “highly intoxicated with slurred speech, confusion, unsteady balance and a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his breath.”
The call that came in, on the night of Saturday, March 28, regarded Gilmore allegedly discharging a weapon in the direction of residences in the community, which is located south of Colmesneil, and right outside of Doucette.
Gilmore admitted to the deputies that he had been shooting a .45 caliber handgun, and it was learned during the investigation that he had allowed his eight-year-old son to handle and discharge the firearm.
“Gilmore’s actions created a substantial and unjustifiable risk of serious bodily injury or death to his child and others in the area,” Weatherford said.
The sheriff noted that the deputies could not locate any points of impact of the bullets, or the direction of the fire, but found several spent shell casings near and underneath a vehicle on the property.
“Gilmore was firing in a residential area with multiple occupied homes and no safe backstop,” Weatherford said.
Gilmore was taken into custody, and charged with the felony endangerment charge, however, Weatherford said he could face additional charges as the investigation continues. Child Protective Services was notified, and initiated a separate investigation into the incident.
Gilmore’s bond was set at $35,000, with several bond conditions, by Pct. 1 Justice of the Peace Tina Self.
