A Jones County father and son are facing aggravated assault charges following a shooting that was reported to law enforcement by the victim in the midst of recent hurricane conditions.
Kelly Edward Cleary Jr., 35, and Kelly Edward Cleary Sr. were arrested Sept. 27.
A report of the incident leading to the arrests by Jones County Sheriff Department Deputy Matthew Dennis stated he responded to the area of James Cemetery Road in reference to a shooting at 1:30 a.m. Sept. 27. Dennis said the victim had a gunshot wound on his upper thigh and told him he had been shot by Cleary Sr.
The deputy said the complainant reported the altercation leading to the shooting was the result of an argument at a residence on Hardy Chapel Road. The argument was about the vehicle he was driving.
The victim said, when he started to leave the residence, Cleary Jr. jumped on the hood of the car. He said Cleary Sr. came out of the house and fired several shots at the vehicle. Two of shots hit the vehicle, one in the driver’s door.
Dennis said he processed the vehicle as much as he could on the scene due to the weather from the approaching hurricane.
The deputy said the case was turned over to JCSO Investigator Lt. Kenny Gleaton. JCSO Investigator Crytal Murphy spoke about the case Oct. 3 on behalf of Gleaton. She said eight shell casings were found at the scene of the shooting.
The investigator said, after the shooting, the victim took off, and Cleary Sr. attempted to follow. She said during the chase, Cleary attempted a U-turn and got stuck in a ditch. A neighbor in the area helped to pull the truck out of the ditch.
Murphy said officers went to the home of the offenders, and no one was there. The Clearys were later located at a residence on Woodland Drive and placed under arrest.
