That’s because police found guns at his house and Baria is barred from having them after a previous felony conviction.The sheriff contacted the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation for help tracking the shooter, he said. Photos from the scene show officers going through the truck.
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Baria’s son said he understood concerns about military safety, but said he felt officials were overreacting following repeated public statements about gunfire and a large police search.
Alfred Baria Jr., who lives with his father, said his dad’s pickup explodes every time someone shifts gears and steps on the gas. Baria’s maroon Isuzu pickup matched the one described in the reports of shots fired in the vicinity of soldiers training at Camp Shelby on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
Baria now faces two felony charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and four misdemeanor charges for disturbing the peace of a person. There were no reported injuries.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation took him into custody at gunpoint, with officials calling a bomb squad into sparsely populated Perry County east of Hattiesburg to investigate plastic pipes and other items they found in the truck. Due to recent events in Chattanooga, Camp Shelby was already under heightened security.
About 11:35 a.m. Tuesday, two soldiers training on Peret Tower Road, which is not on the premises of Camp Shelby, reported that they thought shots had been fired in their direction. Though Strain emphasized that more charges could still be filed, for now Baria isn’t charged with any crime that indicates he shot at the National Guardsmen and active duty Army soldiers training at Camp Shelby.
“There was no confirmation of actual gunshots”, Michel said. Smith said Baria hasn’t admitted firing any shots and authorities have found no shell casings. He said he didn’t realize his father wasn’t supposed to be around guns.
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agent Jason Denham told The Associated Press on Wednesday that agents found PVC pipe, caps and other materials but they were not an explosive or destructive device.
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Smith said Baria would likely be appointed a lawyer at a bail hearing Thursday.
