Valdosta man arrested after firing gun in home with children present

A Valdosta man was arrested on several charges after firing a gun inside a residence, including six counts of third-degree child cruelty.

From the Valdosta Police Department:

On September 21, 2024, at approximately 1:05 p.m., Valdosta Police officers responded to a residence in the 1700 block of Clover Drive after E911 received multiple calls of shots fired in the area. When officers arrived on scene, they noticed multiple bullet holes on the side of the residence. Officers immediately searched for possible injuries but found no injuries. Further investigation by officers determined that the shots appeared to have been fired from inside the residence.
When officers spoke with the complainant, who had called 911, and confronted her with the evidence that showed the gun had been fired from inside the home, she told them that 29-year-old Clayton Cox was inside the home with the gun. She stated that the perpetrators came to the front door and began banging on it when Cox got a gun and began shooting at the front door.
There were six children under the age of 14 in the home while Cox was recklessly firing the gun. The complainant told officers that Cox was hiding in the home. Officers entered the home and called out for Cox several times during the search. Officers made contact with Cox and took him into custody. Officers found the gun Cox had on him when he fired.

Cox was taken to the Lowndes County Jail and faces the following charges:
~Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;
~Possession of a firearm during the commission of a serious crime;
~Tampering of evidence – criminal offence;
~Reckless conduct – misdemeanor; and
~6 counts of cruelty to children, third degree, a misdemeanor.

Officers found the individuals knocking on the front door when Cox fired the gun. They were not injured and did not wish to press charges.
“Our officers did a great job determining that the evidence did not match what they were told. Thanks to their thorough investigation, they were able to quickly determine who fired the shots. We are very fortunate that no one, especially no child, was injured in this reckless act,” said Police Chief Leslie Manahan.
If anyone has additional information about this or other cases, please contact the Valdosta Police Department's Bureau of Investigative Services at 229-293-3145, the Crime Tip Line at 229-293-3091, or submit a tip online at www.valdostacity.com/police-department.