A 20-year-old man was jailed early Sunday morning after a shooting at a Summerfield residence.
Multiple Marion County sheriff’s deputies responded to a home on SE 137th Street after receiving reports of shots fired. On the way, deputies encountered the victim in his vehicle and discovered that he was suffering from gunshot wounds to his knee and arm.
The victim told deputies that 20-year-old Michael J. Pent Jr. had been “rolling up marijuana” while a gun was on his lap. He said the gun fell to the floor and Pent picked it up and it went off. He said he didn’t remember what happened after that but he left to go seek medical treatment, a sheriff’s office report states.
Deputies then went to the residence and spoke with the victim’s mother, who said she “woke up to a commotion” and discovered that her son had been shot. She said her son already had left in his vehicle and Pent had left on foot running through the backyard, the report says.
Deputies started searching for Pent and found him hiding in what appeared to be a makeshift structure. After ordering him to come out of the building and show his hands multiple times, Pent finally exited but refused to follow their commands. He asked, “Since I’m going to jail, can I make a phone call?” the report says.
Deputies continued to order Pent to walk toward them but he continued to use his cell phone and ignore their commands. A deputy then grabbed Pent’s shoulders in an attempt to take him to the ground with minimal to no force but he “began to tense up and resist.” He was taken to the ground by multiple deputies and continued to struggle until they placed him in handcuffs and inside a patrol vehicle, the report says.
A witness told deputies that he heard Pent arguing with the victim and then heard a gunshot and what sounded like a struggle. He said he heard the victim yelling for help and saw Pent running outside the residence. He said the victim then drove away in his vehicle to look for help, the report says.
After being read his rights, Pent said he and the victim, along with another man, “were in his room hanging out when the gun went off accidentally.” He denied having the firearm and arguing with the victim. He also said he didn’t know where the weapon was located “because he had no involvement, the report says, adding that deputies searched the area but failed to find the firearm.
Pent was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and resisting without violence. He was released Sunday afternoon on his own recognizance and is due in court June 16 at 9 a.m. to answer to the charge.
