GIFFORD — A convicted and released felon is back in the county jail after deputies say he fired a single round from an altered handgun near a group of 35 to 40 people on 45th Street in Gifford.
Byron Dwight Wright Jr., 32, of the 3000 block of 45th Street, faces eight charges that range from tampering with evidence and resisting arrest to discharging a firearm in public and using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. In the early morning hours of Thursday, a deputy who was patrolling the area heard a single gunshot and saw a man come running from around the corner of a nearby building while holding a handgun.
The deputy pursued the man and, with the help of a second deputy and a Taser, was able to bring Wright to a stop and place him under arrest.
During the pursuit, Wright attempted to throw the gun away from him, authorities said. The gun was recovered at the scene and identified as a .45-caliber Ruger model P97DC.
As a convicted felon – on charges of robbery with a gun or deadly weapon – Wright is not allowed to be in possession of firearms or ammunition.
Wright is being held at the county jail in lieu of $30,000 bond.
His felony charges include possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, ammunition possession by a convicted felon, and tampering with/or destroying evidence, according to his arrest report.
Wright’s misdemeanor charges include possession of a firearm with a removed serial number, discharging a firearm in public, using a firearm while under the influence, and two counts of resisting an officer without violence, the report states.
