SPRING HILL, Fla. — A man is in jail Friday after reportedly admitting to deputies he fired gunshots in two different locations, including a bar in Spring Hill.
Derrel Thomas Jr, 24, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm after Hernando County Sheriff’s deputies said they discovered he was the one shooting in Spring Hill last month.
On March 27, deputies said someone called them claiming a man shot a single round in the air in the Mermaid's Lounge parking lot located at 4564 Commercial Way in Spring Hill.
Moments later, deputies received another call from someone at Berkeley Manor Boulevard claiming multiple shots were fired there.
Authorities responded to both scenes and upon their arrival, they did not see anyone with a gun.
People in the bar parking lot told officials they didn’t see or hear anything; some even refused to cooperate. Residents of Berkeley Manor, however, said they were woken up by what might have been gunfire, even though they didn’t see any cars or people involved in the supposed shooting.
After a while, two people returned to the bar and reportedly told investigators they saw Thomas Jr. arguing with a small group of people while they got something out of their car.
The two witnesses told officials they drove away from Mermaid’s Lounge after Thomas Jr. went to his car, got a gun and fired shots in the air, according to the sheriff's office.
When they got to Berkeley Manor Boulevard, they realized he was in front of them in his car. That’s when, according to deputies, Thomas Jr. got out and shot at them.
After a day of picking up bullet shells from the lot, deputies determined the man responsible for the incidents was Thomas Jr., even though they later arrested him on an unrelated warrant.
Investigators say Thomas Jr. admitted to shooting at the people because he thought they were following him from the shooting at Mermaid’s Lounge.
No one was injured and the investigation is still ongoing.
