close

City man to stand trial for shooting

4 min read
article image -

The 18-year-old Washington man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend’s stepfather earlier this month told a Washington police lieutenant he fired the shots to protect himself, his child and property.

Jerald Thompson, 18, was ordered by District Judge Ethan Ward to stand trial on charges of homicide and reckless endangerment following a preliminary hearing Wednesday in Central Court for allegedly shooting Jerred Price just before 4 a.m. Feb. 6. Thompson is accused of firing shots from a .22-caliber rifle from a second-floor window of his home at 475 Addison St. at Price, who was in the front yard. Washington County Coroner Tim Warco said the 42-year-old died of a gunshot wound to the head. Price was also shot in the back.

Price’s 16-year-old stepdaughter, Logan Price, testified she spoke with Thompson’s mother, which prompted the text message to her own mother asking her to pick her up. Logan Price, who was called to testify by defense attorney Rose Semple, said she and Thompson were not fighting. Thompson got up and took their 7-month-old son to the kitchen after the baby woke up. Price said she was experiencing a pain in her side. She said Thompson’s mother came into the bedroom and started yelling at her, calling her a lazy mother. Price said she decided to leave.

Price testified she just wanted to leave, although she would have rather gone with her son. She said she was crying when she got into the car with her mother and stepfather and the three of them decided to go back to the Thompson house to get the baby.

Darlene G. Price said her cellphone was charging and she did not immediately realize her daughter had sent a text. After exchanging a few text messages to be certain her daughter still wanted her to come, she and Jerred Price drove to the city’s West End.

“When I got there, I beeped the horn. She came out crying and hysterical,” Darlene Price said. “She said they would not give her the baby.”

The three went back to the house. Darlene Price said she exchanged some words with Thompson’s mother through a closed door before turning to leave. As they walked through the yard, they could see Thompson hanging out of a second-floor window with a gun. She said Jerred Price and Thompson exchanged words as her former husband asked if they could have the baby.

Darlene Price said she thought the weapon was a BB gun until her daughter told her it was a real weapon. She said she grabbed Logan Price by the shirt and turned to walk through the gate. She and her daughter were in the vehicle when she heard the “pop, pop” of gunfire.

She said she and Jerred Price divorced in 2005 but recently reconciled. When she mentioned his name during testimony, she often smiled. She choked up as she described hearing the sound of gunfire and then running to find him on the ground, bleeding.

City police Officer Daniel Grossman said he found an open gate and Price lying just inside a fenced area in front of the home.

When they were allowed into the home, Grossman and other officers found Thompson sitting on a living room couch holding his son. He complied with orders to place the infant down on the couch and was taken into custody.

City police Lt. Daniel Stanek said a Savage .22-caliber bolt-action rifle was found inside Thompson’s bedroom in a cloth gun case. There was a live round in the chamber. A .22-caliber shell casing was also found in the front yard.

Stanek said Thompson told him during a taped statement that lasted nearly an hour he fired the shots because Jerred Price stepped toward the window and he felt he was protecting himself, his child and property.

“He felt solid that he made the correct decision and felt permitted to do so,” Stanek said during cross-examination of Thompson’s decision to fire the gun. Stanek also said Thompson was very open during his interview.

Semple asked Ward to dismiss the two counts of reckless endangerment, noting Logan and Darlene Price were in the vehicle when the shots were fired. Chad Schneider, first assistant district attorney, countered Thompson fired two shots in their vicinity and he considered them to be within a zone of danger. Ward denied the request.

Thompson remains in Washington County jail, where he is being held without bond. His formal arraignment is set for April 21.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $3.75/week.

Subscribe Today