A Munford pastor has been charged with aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after a shooting Tuesday night in Covington that police say began as a dispute over stolen mail.
Michael Gaines Jr., 42, of Forsythe Lane in Munford, was booked into the Tipton County Jail and later released on a $50,000 bond, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the Covington Police Department.
Officers responded at about 9 p.m. Tuesday to the 400 block of Lincoln Street after a report of a person who had been shot. They found Terry Holland, 55, of Michael Street in Covington, with a single gunshot wound to the leg. Emergency medical personnel treated Holland at the scene before he was taken to Regional One Medical Center in Memphis. Police said his injury was not critical.
Detectives with the department’s Criminal Investigation Division determined the shooting happened near the intersection of Hill Avenue and Zion Street. Through witness statements and evidence collected at the scene, detectives identified Gaines as a possible suspect.
According to police, the confrontation stemmed from a dispute over mail that had reportedly been stolen earlier in the day. Police said the dispute escalated and that Gaines is accused of firing a gun at Holland.
Comments on the police department’s social media posting of the incident identified Gaines as the pastor of St. Paul M.B. Church in Drummonds and suggested he confronted the victim over allegations he’d stolen his mother’s mail. This was not released by the police.
With help from multiple agencies, officers located Gaines at his home in Munford and took him to the Criminal Investigation Division for questioning. Police said Gaines denied involvement in the shooting during an interview with detectives. A search of his residence turned up two firearms.
“This incident involved gunfire in a residential neighborhood and created unnecessary danger for residents and surrounding property,” Covington Police Chief Donna Turner said in the release. “I want to recognize the responding officers and detectives for their swift actions and thorough investigation. The Covington Police Department remains committed to holding violent offenders accountable and protecting the safety of our community.”
Charges are accusations. A person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Gaines is scheduled to appear in Tipton County General Sessions Court next week.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Covington Police Department Criminal Investigation Division at 901-475-1261. Tips may also be sent through Facebook Messenger to the Covington TN Police Department page or through the City of Covington website.
