The April 6, 2018 shootout between family members on Grindstone Road has resulted in two indictments by the Grayson County Grand Jury.
The grand jury indicted the two participants, Oval Willis Jr. and 43-year-old Jerry Gardner Jr., both of Clarkson, for their roles in the shootout in the 3000 block of Grindstone Road, in which Gardner was shot in the shoulder by Willis.
Willis was indicted for wanton endangerment and assault, while Gardner was indicted for wanton endangerment. The police investigation into the matter indicates that both men shot at each other during the shootout, but who shot first remains unclear.
Gardner has turned himself into authorities, but is not longer listed as an inmate at the Grayson County Detention Center, while authorities have yet to locate Willis.
When police arrived on the scene the afternoon of April 6, they found that Gardner had been shot in the left shoulder. He was transported by EMS to Hardin Memorial Hospital and released later that day.
According to relatives of both men, Gardner, who lives less than a quarter mile away, drove into the driveway (or possibly just next to the driveway in a grassy area) of his uncle, Oval Willis Jr., and began shooting into the residence. This allegation, though, is disputed, according to police.
A female and Willis were both inside the home, with Willis returning fire and striking Gardner’s truck as well Gardner.
Gardner’s black pickup truck was located in a field across the street from the Willis residence, approximately 150 yards away, apparently the result of Gardner attempting to avoid gunfire. Small pieces of the truck were seen in a side yard adjacent to the Willis driveway.
According to relatives of the two men, the shooting was the culmination of a property dispute among family members, and began in earnest sometime the night prior before boiling over into the shooting that Friday afternoon.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
