Shooting at Mount Pleasant hotel leads to charges – suspect wanted

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Mount Pleasant Police are looking for a man for weapon charges after investigating an accidental shooting at a Mount Pleasant hotel room.

According to Mount Pleasant, Texas Police Department, on Friday, May 22 at 2:20 PM officers responded to a report of a shooting that occurred at the Days Inn in Mount Pleasant. That investigation was previously closed, finding the shooting was an accidental self-inflected gunshot that occurred in a rented motel room. The victim in the shooting was identified as 46 year old Nancy Lynn of Winnsboro. Lynn and a man had checked into the Days Inn Thursday afternoon. When the shooting occurred Friday morning just after midnight, the victim left the hotel with the man and was driven back to her residence in Winnsboro. Winnsboro Police were called to the victims residence and investigated the shooting, later reporting the incident to the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

From the investigation Lynn provided information about who she was with during the shooting incident. That subject was identified as 36 year old Michael Wayne Lawson. The original investigation revealed both Lynn and Lawson had gone into the Backwoods Restaurant and Bar (connected to the motel) prior to the shooting. Detectives obtained video footage from the Backwoods Restaurant identifying when Lawson and Lynn were in the restaurant in order to clarify Lynn’s statements.

While watching the video detectives observed Lawson at the bar consuming drinks and speaking with other patrons. The video clearly depicts Lawson adjusting his pants then reaching for the top back waistband of his pants where a pistol is clearly inadvertently displayed.

Lawson, a convicted felon, is not allowed by law to possess a weapon. Further, Lawson was in possession of a firearm in an establishment licensed for the sale of alcoholic beverages. Based on the evidence discovered during the shooting investigation warrants were issued for Michael Wayne Lawson for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon and Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon on a Licensed Premise.

Lawson is believed to have fled to Florida to avoid criminal apprehension for the Mount Pleasant Charges and other related charges out of Wood County. Lawson is believed to have stolen Lynn’s vehicle and the weapon she shot herself with after Lawson took Lynn back to her Winnsboro residence and leaving her there to call 911 herself to report her injuries.

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