A group of teenagers say they were shot at on Monday while trying to jumpstart a broken-down car.
Court documents from Jackson County Circuit Court reveal that 69-year-old Gerald Robert Haas was arrested on July 16 in connection with an incident that occurred two days earlier.
The four teens involved shared similar versions of the event.
They told police that around 6:15 p.m. on July 14, they were driving in two cars when one of them broke down on E 47th Street.
Since there was no shoulder to pull over, the driver of the broken-down car pulled into a nearby driveway and waited for his friends to return and help restart the vehicle. The teens said Haas, the homeowner, came outside and asked what they were doing.
While the group attempted to jumpstart the car, they said they kept explaining the situation to Haas, but he grew more irritated. According to the report, Haas went into his house, came back with a silver revolver, and began waving it around.
Two of the teens said a neighbor stepped in to defend them, throwing a wooden plank at Haas and shouting that they were just kids.
As the confrontation with the neighbor intensified, Haas allegedly fired a shot from the revolver without aiming at anyone.
The teens scattered—two hid in nearby bushes, and two drove off in the working car. They later returned to pick up their friends before leaving the area.
Haas now faces one felony count of unlawful use of a weapon and one misdemeanor count of unlawful discharge of a firearm. He was booked into the Jackson County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond and has court dates set for July 16 and July 23, 2025.
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