A jury trial was set Dec. 20-21 in Texas County Circuit Court related to a November 2022 incident at a Hartshorn store.
Richard Burkett of Hartshorn was charged with first-degree and armed criminal action following a Texas County Sheriff’s Department investigation of an assault at a Highway KK business. A man there said Burkett had assaulted him with a gun.
The man reportedly told the officer that he and Burkett had been in an argument and each had struck the other. Burkett brandished a gun, pointed it at the victim’s head and pulled the trigger, according to a report.
The victim told the officer Burkett had then acted in a manner indicating he must have thought the gun jammed, or misfired. A store owner reportedly then pulled out his own gun and told Burkett to leave or be shot.
The trial will be overseen by Circuit Court William Hickle. A pre-trial conference was Dec. 5.