A drunken man who fired a pistol into the air created a scare in Iowa City early this morning. Police spokesman, Sergeant Troy Kelsay, says dispatchers received numerous reports of shots fired around 12:47 a-m, and were able to nail down the block where the shooting was taking place.

Kelsay says nine officers, all that were available, flooded the area on Broadway street and saw a large group of people gathered outside one apartment. He says the people fled as the officers approached. Kelsay says a man was then spotted with a gun.

He says an officer who had gone behind the apartment encountered Deonte Jackson fleeing out the back door of the apartment carrying a semi-automatic pistol. Kelsay says the officer observed that the slide of the pistol was pulled back, indicating the pistol may’ve been fired until it was empty. Kelsay says the officer ordered Jackson to stop, but Jackson fled back into the apartment and tried to throw the gun away before being arrested.

Kelsay says they interviewed Jackson after his arrest and he admitted that he had fired the gun into the air, for no other reason than to fire the gun. Kelsay says tests showed that Jackson, who is 25, was drunk. Jackson was charged with a felony count of interference with officials acts, carrying weapons, illegal use of a firearm, and public intoxication. Jackson told police he is in the Army and Kelsay says officers were able to confirm he had an address at Hunter Airfield in Savanah, Georgia.

Kelsay says officers responding to the scene had no idea what prompted the shooting and things could have ended up badly. Kelsay says it could have ended up tragically, but the office exercised restraint, and he says everybody is fortunate it ended up the way it did. Kelsay says officers recovered the .45 caliber pistol and 10 shell casings. They were also able to determine that no one was injured and no property was damaged by the shots.