Man Charged With Shooting At Vehicle Driven By His Child’s Mother On Highway 97 In Cantonment

July 8, 2021

A  man allegedly shot at a vehicle driven by the mother of his child as she drove along County Road 97, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

Joseph Patrick Gartman, 30, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription.

The victim told Escambia County Sheriff’s deputies she was driving to her home in Cantonment when she observed Gartman walking in the area of Highway 97 and Kingsfield Road. She stated she and Gartman had been arguing, so she attempted to turn around to avoid him.

As she turned her vehicle around, she saw Gartman run toward her car, pull out a handgun and fire, according to an arrest report. His shot missed, and she fled the area, calling  law enforcement. A witness told deputies that she was driving north on Highway 97 when she observed a white male with a red toolbox run toward a vehicle and fire a shot.

An Escambia County Sheriff’s deputy located Gartman walking in the area of Highway 87 and Tobias Road. According to an arrest report, he said he yelled at the victim when he saw her driving, but he had not been in possession of a firearm all day.

A cloth firearm holster was located in Gartman’s waistband, and his red tool bag contained a 9 mm handgun and two Xanax pills, according to ECSO.

Gartman remained in the Escambia County Jail Thursday morning with bond set at $21,000.

Comments

20 Responses to “Man Charged With Shooting At Vehicle Driven By His Child’s Mother On Highway 97 In Cantonment”

  1. Don on July 10th, 2021 8:32 am

    @Kane,

    If you try to buy a gun — the questions on the application cover,
    1. Felonies
    2. domestic violence

    Owning a gun does not mean I support
    1. School shooters
    2. mass shooters
    3. or any Criminal

    outlawing guns would create a problem beyond your imagination.

  2. Neighbor on July 10th, 2021 6:59 am

    @Kane there’s already laws in place making it illegal for felons to own a gun. Please explain how this felon got ahold of one and how your additional laws would have fixed the problem

  3. Me... on July 9th, 2021 8:05 pm

    Well, he’s out of jail now, so…..I hope she and the child will stay safe!

  4. David on July 9th, 2021 7:14 pm

    If it was a LEO in the car..he shot at..It then would would automatically be labeled attempted murder. If I’m lying I’m dieing.
    This is the justice system kissing this guys..a..not talking about all the charges with a child in the car…
    Talk about delusional setting of a bond with illusions of grandeur.

  5. Kane on July 9th, 2021 10:32 am

    @Neighbor and Charlie

    Why do you think additional gun control laws would be a solution? Is that what I said in my scathing post? Obviously the ones we have now do nothing no we need to scarp the whole thing and start from step 1.

    Who needs to own a gun this day and age? How about 1. any convictions for violent offenses should be an automatic disqualifier whether it be a Felony or a Misdemeanor. This includes assaults, domestic batteries, physical abuse.

    Wow that seemed almost too easy didn’t it. No the real problem isn’t the laws it’s idiots that think they should have a right to own a gun. Much like a car gun ownership should now be a Privilege not a right. We have clearly shown we have no common sense when it comes to guns. Sorry America if your wrote a book about gun control the title would be “Ya Blew It”.

    Oh and if you argue against this then you support School shooters Mass shooters Murderers and any criminal that has ever used a gun to hurt someone so please stop complaining about “all the crime”.

  6. Childhood friend on July 9th, 2021 6:46 am

    Pat, I know you have a better head on your shoulders son! Not the pat I know at all! Boy was always a big ole teddy bear. Glad to know the child and it’s mother are safe and unharmed!

  7. Duke of Wawbeek on July 9th, 2021 6:22 am

    I would suggest being mindful of who you select to have children with.

  8. np630ss on July 8th, 2021 4:06 pm

    Repeat offenders are evidence that incarceration is no longer a deterrent to crime. Especially violent crime. This man’s alleged actions show a callous disregard for human life. I suggest a more direct approach to a deterrent. Amputation. Start with a hand. Then an arm. A foot. Then a leg. In little to no time, Mr/Ms Repeat Offender will be physically unable to commit violence. To those that would claim they would be permanent state dependents – what do you think they are while incarcerated?

  9. Charlie on July 8th, 2021 1:35 pm

    What we need is a hundred more gun laws on top of the many we have now. Yep, that will solve it & make criminals think twice, NOT! More drug laws also to solve that problem, NOT! Longer prison sentences, Maybe.

  10. Private Investigator on July 8th, 2021 12:50 pm

    He has been to prison in 2014-2016. Why is he not charged with being in possession of a firearm/ammunition as a CONVICTED FELON?

  11. BT on July 8th, 2021 10:59 am

    Paul,

    You are right. It’s completely backwards.
    We are just rewarding failure here.
    It’s the wrong lesson to be teaching our children.

  12. Me on July 8th, 2021 10:57 am

    I guess allegedlly means its a fact and 100% true ..right? Ill wait to see the proof..cause apparantly all yall are judges and know exactly whats going on! So judge some more saints!

  13. Neighbor on July 8th, 2021 10:43 am

    @Kane do you not understand how gun control works? It would not have stopped this whatsoever. I live on Tobias and heard the gunshot. What it would have done is stopped me from immediately going to my safe and getting mine. It would also stopped you from “joining” them. It’s already illegal to do what he done and have the pills. I guess he would’ve done the right thing if possessing a gun was illegal though right?

  14. Kane on July 8th, 2021 10:16 am

    I love how everyone here is “oh the bond this the bond that” and “keep’em locked up” but NO ONE seems to be upset about a Mad Max Fury Road style shoot’em up on one of our MAIN THROUGHFARES! Lord are we so in love with guns that we are willing to watch our loved ones be gunned down and still ignore the raging lack of any control on guns? One unsolved mass shooting, two unsolved gang style shootings, and now this enough is enough. I guess I will get a CC license because if you can’t beat’em………

  15. Paul on July 8th, 2021 8:54 am

    When someone does something like this they should be charged the same as a murderer. Just because he failed there’s no reason for a lesser charge. Lock’em up for life before he takes one.

  16. C Starkey on July 8th, 2021 8:33 am

    The $21K bail seems a bit thin for attempted murder doesn’t it?

  17. Billtyler on July 8th, 2021 8:29 am

    Always somebody knows what would happen in the future. First of all you don’t even know the present so stop guessing about what could have been !!!!!

  18. alan on July 8th, 2021 7:43 am

    @JTV – Bond is set at $21,000, so it will only take $2100 and a bail bonds person to get out. His two charges so far are:

    784.021.1a AGGRAV ASSLT W/ DEADLY WEAPON WITHOUT INTENT TO KILL
    893.13.6a DRUGS – POSSESS CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION

    $20,000 bond on the first one and $1,000 on the second. Bond was set by the Sheriff’s office in accordance with the Escambia County Bond Schedule.

  19. Bob The Builder on July 8th, 2021 7:41 am

    This is the same kid that almost killed the kid at the intersection of Beulah and Nine Mile. He did 2 years time I think for that already. NorthEscambia had the story on it back a few years ago. DUI, ran the red light and t-boned the other pour fellow.

  20. JTV on July 8th, 2021 4:24 am

    Hopefully no one will bail him out. The way it sounds, he’d have killed her had she not turned around.

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News