Cabool man arrested after assaulting, pointing gun at victim

A Cabool man was charged with four offenses, including second-degree assault, on Aug. 2, authorities say.

On Aug. 1, at 11:40 p.m. two Cabool police officers arrived at the dispatched address and made contact with the victim on the street in front of the residence. The victim had visible facial injuries, was bleeding from her face and had minor neck and stomach bruising. The victim declined medical attention.

The officers made contact with the suspect, Shawn Morris, born in 1968, who was located on the north side of the residence, pacing and talking to himself. He appeared to be visibly impaired and said that he was tired of the “violent bullshit” and wanted to leave.
He stated that he does not like to be violent, and he appeared to have defensive wounds on the left side of his back.

Morris told the officers that he put a gun up to the victim so that she wouldn’t hurt herself. He was then placed under arrest. During a pat down, a baggy, filled with a white, crystal-like substance was located in his right, front pant pocket.

Following a field test, the substance was determined to be methamphetamine. He was transported to the Cabool Police Department.

On Aug. 2, at 1:13 a.m., a police officer went to the victim’s residence for follow-up questioning. The victim said she was walking up the stairs with laundry when Morris attacked her. She said she did not provoke the attack and that she was knocked down the stairs, grabbed by her hair and slapped.

The victim explained she got up to her feet, up some of the stairs and was then pinned down on the stairs by Morris who put her in a headlock and threatened to choke her to death. She explained that while she was being choked, Morris bit her on the face.

After she made it to the kitchen, Morris punched her in the face and slammed her onto the ground.

While she was on her back, Morris straddled her, held her arms and squeezed her sides with his legs while trying to put all of his weight on her. She said she was able to call the police while Morris was trying to rip the phone from her hand.

The victim said that Morris stated, “Well, I put that gun up, you might as well get it and shoot me, go ahead and shoot me.” She said that she did attempt to defend herself and might have hit and scratched him while trying to escape. She stated that she could not breathe.

She did not know where the gun was at the time because Morris took it from where she kept it and hid it from her.

The probable cause statement notes that Morris is a felon with a lengthy criminal history with charges dating from 1987 to present.

Morris is currently held on $100,000 bond.