(SEMMES, Ala.) A city of Semmes employee was arrested by deputies early Tuesday morning for shooting at a group of unarmed teenagers.
Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said Mark Shane Raiford, 39, a public works supervisor for the city of Semmes, was charged with discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle. Raiford has since been released on bond.
Cochran said Raiford "unloaded" a pistol on a five Mary Montgomery students who were "rolling" his Semmes home with toilet paper. Cochran said the teens were driving away from Raiford's home when he opened fire.
"We recovered five spent shell casings," Cochran said. "So we know that at least five were fired.
"The evidence tends to support that he fired at the vehicle fleeing, and knew that people were in the vehicle and therein lies the reason for the charge of shooting into an occupied vehicle."
Cochran said deputies later caught up with Raiford at an Exxon service station on Howell's Ferry Road, where Raiford followed the teens and held them at gunpoint.
Cochran called the incident an over-reaction on the part of Raiford.
"This could have been a situation with a horrible ending," Cochran said, "but luckily the bullets that struck the vehicle didn't strike any of the five juveniles."
Cochran said warrant slips were given to Raiford to sign against the five teens for criminal littering. The misdemeanor charge will be handled in juvenile court.
City of Semmes Mayor Jude Hale could not be reached for comment about the incident.
