MORGANTON, N.C. — Morganton Public Safety said it has made an arrest after an alleged incident involving a handgun at a bus stop on North Green Street.
It happened at the recreation center in Morganton, where one of the fathers was captured on video threatening the son of the man charged, Shatney Jones.
Bambi Pearson doesn’t understand why her boyfriend, Jones, is now charged with assault by pointing a gun and communicating threats. She said it all started with a phone call to 911 by another man near this bus stop.
“He was repeatedly yelling there was a firearm,” Pearson said, ”Anybody who knows Shatney knows he doesn’t own a firearm. We don’t carry a firearm. We have children.”
According to the arrest warrant, Jones “pulled out a gun” while in his SUV at a bus stop and threatened to kill Julian Brittain.
Channel 9 spoke with a woman who said her child was at the bus stop Thursday morning when the incident happened. The woman, who didn’t want to be identified, said the children attend Walter Johnson Middle School.
She said, “And we could hear someone say, ‘Put that gun down. Don’t come out here with a gun. There’s kids. Don’t do this, put it down. Fight me like a man if you have to.’”
The school district said the bus had not arrived at the stop yet during the alleged incident.
Pearson shared a video weeks earlier where she said Brittain threatened to harm the couple’s 12-year-old son, along with her boyfriend at the Rec center in Morganton. She doesn’t believe her boyfriend should face charges in the case.
“He’s a referee for the county,” Pearson said. “We’re respected here. We contribute to our community. We’re not violent people, and we’re approachable when it comes to our children.”
The school district released a statement regarding the incident, saying:
“Burke County Public Schools is aware of an incident that occurred near a bus stop early Thursday morning. We are in communication with Morganton Public Safety regarding the incident and will continue to cooperate with their investigation. No BCPS buses were stopped near the site of the incident when it occurred.
Our school administrators, Department of Transportation, and Department of Student Services are working with students and families to provide support and assistance as needed.
We encourage students to report anything they see or experience that causes concern to a trusted adult. Concerns can be reported in person or anonymously through our Say Something reporting system.
For many of our students, the school day begins at the bus stop. We encourage parents, caregivers, and community members to remain vigilant around bus stops and to use extra caution when driving near school buses. Student safety is a shared responsibility, and we all play an important role in helping ensure our students can get to and from school safely each day.”
Police say they did not recover a firearm.
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