Reckless gunplay blamed for Duncan man’s arrest

DUNCAN — A witness said a Dec. 22, 2023, incident grew violent after he yelled at a motorist speeding through his neighborhood to slow down for a child playing in the roadway.

Police said the man returned and, after pointing the gun at the witness, fired a round into the road.

Christopher Bloxham, 40, of Duncan, made his initial appearance in Stephens County District Court on Dec. 27, 2023, where he was charged with two felony counts of feloniously pointing a firearm as well as a misdemeanor count of reckless conduct with a firearm, records indicate. The felony counts are punishable by up to 10 years each.

Duncan police were called shortly before 4:15 p.m. Dec. 22, 2023, to a home in the 1500 block of South 11th Street regarding shots fired. Police found a bullet casing in the roadway and Bloxham was taken into custody, Officer Christian Archer stated.

A witness told police the gunshot was result of an altercation between him and Bloxham after he yelled at Bloxham to slow down for driving a pickup at a high rate of speed near where his child was playing, the probable cause affidavit states. He said the truck circled the end of the block and returned to a neighbor’s home where the driver began asking about a washer and dryer under the carport, Archer stated.

The witness said Bloxham continued being confrontational and gestured at his hip acting as if he was going to pull a gun, the affidavit states. They continued arguing and, he said, Bloxham raised a gun and pointed it toward his head, causing the man to back off. He said Bloxham lowered the gun and fired a round into the street before getting into his truck and leaving, according to Archer.

The homeowner with the washer and dryer also told police Bloxham pointed the gun at him before the gunshot.

During questioning, Bloxham said he’d been driving the appropriate speed and hadn’t seen the child. He said when he stopped to ask about the appliances, the witness had been yelling at him and he claimed the man had “a large machine gun” and said that’s when he presented his gun and pointed it at the men, according to the affidavit. He said he fired the round into the ground after he and the witness lowered their weapons before he got in his truck and called police.

Among several witnesses, none saw the other man with a gun during the incident, Archer stated.

Free on $25,000 bond with the order to have no contact with the witnesses, Bloxham returns to court at 9 a.m. March 20 for his preliminary hearing conference, records indicate.