Rome business owner, 1 other, charged after bullet strikes customer’s coat

Rome (WSYR-TV) – Two men are facing criminal charges after one of them fired a gun at a wall and the bullet passed through, striking a coat being worn by a customer at a Rome business.

According to Rome Police, 56-year-old Ricky Hoke allowed 45-year-old Edward Lemmon Jr. to handle his new gun in an office area in the Hoke Auto Sales building on Erie Boulevard in Rome.

Lemmon allegedly pointed the gun at a wall and fired the loaded weapon. The bullet went through the wall and into the parking lot where it passed through the sleeve and stomach area of a customer’s coat.

The customer was not injured.

Hoke and Lemmon were both charged with reckless endangerment in the second degree, a misdemeanor.

They are scheduled to appear in Rome City Court at a later date.

Police secured the weapon, which they say was possessed legally.