On Saturday night at 11:00 p.m. a disturbance at the County Line Bar on the Off Road Ranch property southeast of Norfolk led to a shot being fired during the disturbance that miraculously didn’t strike anyone. A Stanton County Sheriff’s deputy was in the area of the bar on foot at the time of the disturbance and heard the gunshot and immediately called for assistance, which initiated a multi-agency response. He was in the area patrolling following an earlier disturbance at the nearby racetrack involving several intoxicated parties. The shooting incident occurred when a group of very intoxicated bar patrons got involved in an argument and Donte Jackson, 41, of Gary, IN stated that he was going to shoot several people. He then produced a pistol and pointed the gun directly into the face of another male. Seeing this action a bystander struck Jackson across the back, knocking the firearm out of his hand. The gun then discharged and fortunately no one was hit by the gunfire. Jackson was immediately taken into custody and secured in handcuffs in a patrol unit. it was later found to be a convicted felon having served prison terms in Indiana and Iowa. A fully loaded 9mm pistol and a spent shell casing were recovered just outside the bar. Jackson faces felony charges of Terroristic Threats, Use of a Weapon to Commit a Felony, and Possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. A second male involved in the disturbance, Jacob Finley, 22, of Flomaton, AL was charged with Disturbing the Peace and Obstructing a Police Officer after he ran from the scene and a taser was deployed on him. Both Jackson and Finley were medically treated and cleared at the scene by Norfolk Fire and Rescue. The scene was very chaotic due to the large crowd that involved numerous intoxicated persons. The Sheriff’s office was assisted at the scene by the Norfolk Police Division, Madison County Sheriff’s office and Nebraska State Patrol. Jackson remains in jail on a $500,000.00 bond that was set on Sunday morning.
