Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By BARTON PERKINS | Staff Writer

SHELBY – Paul Gregory McMillon, 55, was arrested on charges of making terroristic threats against his next-door neighbors, Lauren and Chris Thompson, on Saturday, Nov. 18.

The incident began at midnight on Nov. 18 when McMillon is said to have repeatedly fired rounds from a handgun into the Thompsons’ dwelling. 

Lauren Thompson is said to have been on the couch in the family’s living room when she heard roughly seven shots being fired. One of these bullets shattered a glass window and embedded itself in a wooden panel roughly 10 feet away from her. 

According to court documents, this incident was preceded by a minor dispute between McMillon and the Thompsons’ underage sons earlier in the evening. During this incident, McMillon brandished the same handgun he would later use in the shooting.

The entire Thompson family is said to have been inside their home during the incident, but no direct injuries were reported.. After the shooting ended, the Thompsons called emergency services and were advised to take cover while law enforcement was dispatched.

Deputies of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene and found McMillon alone in his home. He is said to have been pacing back and forth and refused to cooperate when the deputies ordered him to come out of his home and surrender.

Ultimately, the deputies were forced to arrest McMillon by force. Accounts indicate that he had to be forcibly held down and restrained. 

Reports say that while officers were attempting to arrest McMillon and read him his Miranda rights,, he declared that he would kill his neighbors when he was released from jail, and also declared an intention to burn down their home.

Court documents indicate, there was a previous altercation between McMillon and the Thompsons back in June where McMillon threatened to “get (his) gun”. However, the incident on Nov. 18 is the first time disputes between the neighbors has escalated to the point of physical violence.

After his arrest, McMillion was taken to Shelby County Jail in Columbiana and charged with the following:

-Discharging a firearm into an occupied building

-Resisting arrest

-Making a terrorist threat

McMillion is currently being held on a bond of $152,000, which was originally set at $45,500. The bond was increased, at the recommendation of Assistant District Attorney Ben Fuller, to ensure the safety of both individuals McMillion is said to have threatened and the public as a whole. 

Furthermore, even if McMillion were to be released on bail,it has been declared that he would not be allowed to reside at his residence or be within 100 feet of the Thompsons’ home.

“I’m grateful that no one was injured in this incident,” Chief Deputy of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Clay Hammac said. “I’m very proud of the work of our deputies who responded to this scene and worked to preserve life and property. It’s our hope that our judicial system will serve both parties by providing justice to the victim and facilitating the help needed for this offender.”