Man arrested for shooting gun inside Evansville bar, reports show

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Published: Jan. 31, 2023 at 8:55 AM CST

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - The Evansville Police Department was called to Rick’s Sport’s Bar for a fight in progress early Monday morning.

According to an affidavit, the caller told dispatch around 12 people were fighting.

Police say when they arrived, a large crowd was out in the parking lot. While in the parking lot, police approached a man who told them he had nothing to do with the incident.

According to police reports, that man was seen putting a jacket into a car and then leaving the scene while officers were still investigating.

Police say they were told by someone else shots were fired inside of the bar. After reviewing video footage, police saw two women fighting, security splitting them up and then a man shoot into the ceiling.

That man was later identified as the same person officers originally approached after arriving on scene, according to police.

Police reports show that the car the jacket was placed into was searched and inside the pocket, officers found a handgun. The gun was similar to the one seen in the video footage.

The man was found and identified as 42-year-old Tarone Johnson.

Officers say Johnson admitted that he was at Rick’s Sports Bar and fired a shot into the ceiling when a fight broke out.

He was arrested and booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail on the following charges:

  • Criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon
  • Unlawful carrying of a handgun
  • False reporting/informing
42-year-old Tarone Johnson(Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office)