BARNESVILLE, Ga. — A firework show and concert in Barnesville was disrupted on Saturday after a drunk man started firing his gun from his front porch, according to Barnesville Police Chief Belinda Penamon.
While many people confused the gunfire with a shooting at the event — called Buggy Days — Penamon says that was not true.
In fact, the alleged shooter, Steven Scott Denike, was on his front porch, which was located on a nearby street, 164 Strafford Avenue.
According to the incident report, authorities were called to the scene just after 9 p.m., and they say Denike was arrested soon thereafter for discharging a firearm within city limits.
The concert and firework show was part of a week-long festival celebrating Barnesville's history in automobile manufacturing.
But despite not taking place at the concert, Penamon says the shooting still impacted the Buggy Days event, prompting concert and firework attendees to scatter and run away when the gunfire rang out.
While authorities originally thought Denike was shooting into the air, they are still trying to determine that. Penamon says witnesses on the scene say he may have been shooting into the ground.
Penamon says the show then resumed after they determined that the shooting was not actually at the event.
She's not sure why Denike decided to start firing, like whether he thought the police could not distinguish between the fireworks and the gunfire.
But whatever his intention was, Penamon says Denike is now behind bars at the Lamar County jail. As of Monday, jail records show Denike remains in jail.
Buggy Days is a week-long festival in Barnesville with a rich history. According to the Chamber of Commerce's website, the city-sponsored event is celebrating its 50th anniversary, highlighting the city's history as the "Buggy Capital of the South."
A history on the city's website says that Barnesville manufactured "more buggies than any other location south of Cincinnati, Ohio."
