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Man Charged With Opening Fire With AK-47 Assault Rifle At Nightclub
July 10, 2012
A 21-year old Cantonment man has been charged with opening fire with an alleged AK-47 assault rifle at a Pensacola nightclub.
Davaress Lee Dixon of Pace Parkway was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm in public . He was booked into the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $22,000.
The incident happened at the Live Nightclub on Pensacola Boulevard at Nine Mile Road, next to the Vallarta Mexican Restaurant, on July 5, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.
A 21-year old male told deputies he was in the parking lot when he was attacked by what he believed to be three white males and one black male, and one of them struck him on the head. He told deputies that during the altercation, an older model red sports car pulled up and the black male retrieved a rifle from the car and fired six shots into the air. Witnesses corroborated the victim’s story.
Responding Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies were unable to locate the vehicle in the area, but they did find six 7.62 caliber shell casings in the parking lot of the nightclub, according to an arrest report.
On Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a witness that said he saw Thursday night’s incident and that the car and man that pulled an AK-47 were back at the Live Nightclub. When deputies arrived at the Pensacola Boulevard nightclub, the witness said he had information that the vehicle was now at O’Reilly’s Irish Pub on Creighton Road. Deputies reported finding the vehicle at the Creighton Road bar with a handgun in the front driver’s seat and what appeared to be a clip connected to an automatic weapon in a back passenger floorboard.
Dixon was detained in the parking lot of O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and then positively identified by a witness as the man who fired the AK-47 two nights before at the Live Nightclub.
A Pensacola Police Department K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle. A search of the car located a Strum Ruger P90 handgun, an Interec TEC-DC9 assault weapon, as well as multiple baggies of marijuana and four Xanax bars, according to Dixon’s arrest report.
Dixon was also charged with possession of marijuana. He remained in the Escambia County Jail Tuesday morning.
Comments
35 Responses to “Man Charged With Opening Fire With AK-47 Assault Rifle At Nightclub”
First and foremost, allow me to compliment all for intelligent, non racist opining.
Mine is dirt simple; Ak47s and 7.62×39 do not belong on our streets. Penalties should be as severe as the gun. Felons should shudder at the thought of being caught near one.
.
“You Every Heard Of Nobody’s Perfected”
__________
Nope, Nevry Heard of That.
I go to this club every now and then and it is a great place and always a good time. They have a great security staff that is very friendly but does not put up with trouble. I have seen them run off people because they start to act out of line and that is why I go. They always have officers out side to keep it safe. The officers are great most of the time the same ones and always very friendly. I have seen the place very packed and no trouble but you will see the security taking people out side every once in a while. I was there that night and stayed till almost closing so it happened after that but I did ask and was told the ones that shot the gun up in the air were mad because they were not allowed in earlier that night due to dress code. So I guess they came back at close. They were caught 2 nights later in another bar O’Riley’s… They were caught with guns and drugs in their car. So good job to Live and the Sheriffs office for getting them off the street! This could have happened any where and yes I will go back to Live..
Ladies and Gentlemen ; My comment was that the good Deputies of this once safe county are not being used properly. Who’s fault – the man in charge what ever his name. There are options available that would make criminals think twice before that act. Picking up garabage is not the answer. Pro-active intense enforcement is the key. You get with the community leaders tell them what’s coming and get them on same page. Communities are afraid and Deputies are afraid to do their jobs. You make sure when a bad guy pokes his head up a Deputy is there to to arrest him for the crime. You get the Judges to be aware of the actions you are going to take so they know to expect more cases. I know this works because I’ve seen it done. This county is one that can be retaken from the bad guys but it has to start at the top.
I never said Morgan needs a crystal ball. Just that he needs to get his head out of his rear and start taking control of his county. This IS election year, after all. And, yes, I am personally aware of what our law enforcement officers go through on a daily basis because my husband is one. There are things going on within the Sheriffs office that prove my point. The “Good Ole Boy” system is very much in effect. There are things going on behind the scenes that many dont know about that would make most of your heads spin. Our sheriff is too concerned with suspending deputies that were victims of sexual harassment rather than actually investigating the incident. As far as my neighborhood, we have an active neighborhood watch, but a neighborhood watch is only as good as the deputies that patrol your area.
A law says fire a gun get 10 years… 10 20 life .for one public place two they were what robbing some guy three 22000 bail what a joke he will be out in a day and have his guns back to shot a kid in 2 weeks
I would like to add something for those who don’t understand why it’s David Morgan’s fault. The shift that was just involved in the shooting on Ladybird is now short staffed. The sheriff’s office has approx. 12 school resource officers available because school is out, not one of them has been assigned to help, instead they have been assigned to a Monday thru Friday job, holidays and weekends off. Oh, they also get $300.00 per month extra assignment pay. Aren’t calls for service from the public suppose to be a priority? Once again the TAC team, which has at least 12 deputies, 2 sgt’s and 1 Lt., has not been assigned to help either, why? Ray Charles could see that this man in incompetent. While your at it go ask the resident’s who live in Mayfair just how effective the clean sweeps are, maybe they can go back to Mayfair and sweep up the 50 shell casing from the recent shoot out with assault rifles, one of which was an AK-47.
Sorry, but the bail seems too low to me also, I deem a guy that would shoot into an occupied building with a high powered rifle a serious threat to public safety. If a bondsman accepts his bond (and they will) he will only have to pay $2200 which I’m sure he won’t have any trouble doing, watch and see. I know that the bond is not meant to be an adjudication of guilt, but he is facing some pretty serious charges, why would he NOT be considered a flight risk. Who was the Judge? I can probably guess!
Yes he is a bad guy and a punk and should be locked up for a long time
last time I checked it was still legal to own an AK-47. If one chooses to modify it to full auto function, that’s an automatic 20 years at Club Fed when they get caught. You can “bump fire” an AK so that it will shoot just about as quickly as a fully automatic weapon. Besides, an AK or an SKS is NOT a “machine gun”!
My Brother Isn’t A Bad Person You Every Heard Of Nobody’s Perfected
Why is it the Sheriff’s fault? That’s easy, the Deputies are scared to do their job because of his discipline process that rewards some and penalizes other for the same violation. He has a TAC team that doesn’t work weekends or in any of the areas where the problems are happening, example being all the car burglaries that have been happening throughout the county on a nightly basis. The TAC team was never assigned to help with this problem when this is exactly what they are suppose to be used for. He pays off duty PATROL Deputies overtime to work property crimes cases instead of violent crime cases, then allows the regular Investigators to take time off to work off duty jobs. He schedules the Deputies who work desk jobs, or DESK TO ROADS as it is sometimes called to work hours that don’t coincide with higher crime occurring. He has spent thousands of dollars on a new computer system and training for one officer to gather the statistics and data and map out where crime is most likely to happen and the Deputies have heard nothing about it and its not used. Nobody said he has to have a crystal ball just common sense and the knowledge to know what his department should be doing.
Many of you are missing key facts. I am a patron that has enjoyed the club’s entertainment and quality of staff. I hav been going there since it opened nearly two years ago. They do what tgey can do to keep people safe. There wereonly fifteen people in The building at the time the fight broke out. I was an eye witness to tge incident. Several bouncers were on staff and there was a officer there. Shortly after the officer left the incident happened.
If they had hired law enforcement to be security on the premisis who is to say the officer would have been in the parking lot at the right time – he may have been in the club if there were issues there – an incident like this can be over in such a short amount of time- maybe a minute or less
To Jean and Big K – I don’t know how the ECSO can stop crimes before they happen. Maybe a crystal ball? or better yet – why are the citizens not being proactive and protecting their neighborhoods from thugs ?- one example is neighborhood watch……..another is the old time soloution of watching out for your neighbors – if you see something that does not seem right call the law let them investigate – but don’t tie their hands by not getting involved and be willing to testify if you are needed. Citizens and communitites have to get involved not just sit in the house and complain that law enforcement is not doing enough -law enforcement can’t be everywhere but citizens are everywhere-
My question is why wasn’t there a police officer at the club when this happened? It’s very common for clubs/bars to hire off duty police officers to work the clubs at night. I know for a fact that Live uses cops most of the time. IMO more blame could/should be placed on the Club and not on Sheriff Morgan. If a deputy had been hired by the Club that night, this more than likely wouldn’t of happened. The cost of a deputy is a measily (approximately $100 a night) expense for the Club…especially considering how much serious crime it deters.
A little lesson on ballistics. 7.62 denotes the diameter of the bullet, in this case 7.62 is the metric equivalent of 30 caliber. The shells they found would have to have been 7.62 by 39. The 39 being the length of the shell casing, 39 millimeters. AK rounds are 7.62×39 but many other guns are also. It could have been an SKS with an extended clip which were never made for auto fire. Converting an AK from semi to auto is not easy. The parts can be put in but the function can be very iffy. So this gun could have been one of many that are chambered for 7.62×39.
Jean and bigk,
you guys are idiots !!!!! how is the sheriff to know when and where a crime is going to occur ? You two dummies watch way too much television. Real life ain’t like you see on the cop programs………Hell, they can solve a murder in less than 60 minutes.
You cry babies get real and see the real world.
The sheriff’s fault? Really? Why is that when someone wants to post on an article just to see their name online, they blame the sheriff? Please explain how the sheriff could have prevented this incident. Better yet, explain what you personally would have done to prevent this incident. Anybody with even a miniscule amount of sense realizes that law enforcement can’t be everywhere all the time, and they certainly can’t see into the future. Please don’t criticize unless you are willing to put on a uniform and do what these brave men and women do everyday. My father was a policeman and detective for many years before he passed away. One of his favorite quotes was “use your head for something besides a hat rack.”
A minor point but several writers seem to think that a bond setting means immediate release from jail. The bond was set a 22k. I don’t read anything about his paying it or being released. Bond is supposed to be enough to ensure he will appear in court, not necessarily a reflection of the seriousness of the charge. Also, our legal system (not me) says at this moment, he is innocent. So how much should an innocent person have to pay to not stay in jail until a court decides his guilt?
Wow…why is it every time I see a violent crime reported on here, there are a few individuals that always go after the Sheriff? Until we get to “Minority Report” technology, we cannot predict crimes, we can only react to them and take measures to to protect ourselves from violent crime in the future.
As far as what BIGK said, what fantasy world are you living in? Show me one big or intermediate sized city with ZERO gang problems. They do not exist! I too agree that ANY level of gang activity is unacceptable, but you are not going to eliminate it completely. The only way to completely eliminate that type of crime is for our police and sheriff’s department to use tactics that would have the liberals SCREAMING violation of rights, etc.
When gang members have superior weapons than law enforcement, we have a problem. Equip our “Peace Officers” better, but that will never happen.
For those of you that constantly complain about the “cops” in this town, I have a suggestion for you. Put on the damn uniform yourself and go out and MAKE a difference. But NOOOOOOO, none of you want to get paid less than $30,000.00 (and that’s a high estimate) a year to put your life on the line each day and deal constantly with the dregs of society.
“It’s their choice, they decided to become a police officer”, you say. Well “I” say this: If you are not willing to take the risk and do the job, then SHUT THE HECK UP about the job they do!
If we didn’t have the police officers that we do, you would all be screaming about the crime, the lawlessness, and we need to hire someone to protect us!
Are their bad police officers? Sure there are, just like there are bad teachers, bad doctors, bad politicians, etc.
BOTTOM LINE: If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Support those that protect us! You may find yourself needing them someday!
Jean,
Could you please explain what the sheriff could have done any differently?
Bond is LOW!! I’m sure he will get probation. HA what a joke.
Does any one see a trend lately. The Sheriffs Office responds after the fact and looks busy. Sheriff Morgan needs to be pro-active with these street thugs. They sell drugs and shoot up our county at will. Sheriff Morgan stated “The gangs are at an acceptable level in Escambia County”. I say no level is acceptable , maybe time to get a leader in there that goes after the problem not reacts to their crimes. If I’ve learn nothing else in my years its that if you go after a problem ; you fix it or it goes away. But do nothing and it grows as we’ve seen lately. God Bless or Law Enforcement Officers in harms way every day.
Be thankful that there was at least one witness willing to talk to the cops.
The article states that 7.62 shell casings were found at the scene.. That is an AK-47 round.. There should be no doubt this guy fired an AK.. They can be fired in single shot mode, but many (probably most) AK’s have been modified to full automatic, and are extremely dangerous even in the hands of an expert.. Under no circumstances should these weapons be taken to the street..
Jeremy, a witness statement is just that – a quote from a witness. And, an AK 47 can indeed be fired in single shot mode. The important thing here is that a person who exhibits dangerous behavior that puts others at risk has been arrested.
This kind of stuff is happening on a regular basis in this area. Removing debri from a neighborhood and putting on a dog and pony show with your command bus and a whole bunch of Deputies for a day does nothing to help curb guns and violence. I’m sorry you have to have a long term commitment to even begin to stop this.
“witness that said he saw (a) man that pulled an AK-47″ … what appeared to be an automatic weapon”. A weapons looks do NOT make it automatic, or any more or less dangerous. There are plenty of semi automatic weapons that ‘appear’ to be AK’s. “fired 6 shots” – if it was a “machine gun” there’s no way an average citizen could distinguish that many shots… it would have fired off way too fast. Glad they caught another criminal and glad no one was killed!
Glad to have this guy behind bars!! Why so low on the bail?! AK-47!! Where are the feds? This kind of thing has got to stop.. What if he had levelled off and started mowing people down!! HE COULD HAVE!!
A fine example of how Sheriff Morgan is “Cleaning up our Streets”! Another machine gun packin hooligan back out on the street. And, **BONUS**, he’s right down the road from me….YEAH!! Just one more reason to get my family up out of this neighborhood as fast as I can!!!
Sounds like he loves the nightlife.
Bail set at only $22,000 !!!!
What was that judge thinking???
Seriously…only a 22K bond. I guess he will have to kill someone before our court system will take him serious.
Er, huh, only $22,000? Tell me it ain’t so…….
Goodbye! Tough Guy.