A Halloween night call about gunfire near trick-or-treaters in Duncan, Oklahoma ended with a man in handcuffs after he allegedly pointed a firearm at one of the responding police officers. The man complied with commands, walked out of the residence and was taken into custody without further incident, and no injuries were reported.
According to KOCO, Duncan police officials said officers responded to Linwood Lane after a call that someone had allegedly fired a gun toward trick-or-treaters. The station reported officers arrived just after 8 p.m. Saturday, while a separate account from KSWO put the response at about 10:14 p.m. that same night. Witnesses at the scene directed officers to the home where the shots were reportedly fired, per the KOCO report.
Officer Confronted at the Door
As officers arrived at the home, the man allegedly pointed a firearm at one of them, police officials said, according to the same KOCO account. He then complied with officers' commands and exited the residence, where he was taken into custody without further incident. The article notes that the Stephens County Sheriff's Office attributed a set of complaints against him: assault and battery with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, and possession of a firearm while intoxicated.
Oklahoma law addresses weapon-related assaults under a statute titled Oklahoma Legislature records as “Assault, battery, or assault and battery with dangerous weapon,” found at Title 21, Section 645 of the state's criminal code.
Conflicting Reports on the Suspect's Identity
KOCO 5 said it was not naming the man because formal charges had not been filed at the time of its report. KSWO, however, identified the arrested man as Jerry Herberger, a former Stephens County judge, and reported that Herberger, of Duncan, was transported to the Stephens County Jail. The two station accounts differ on both the exact timing of the police response and whether the suspect could be named, and neither detail has been independently reconciled.
No injuries were reported in connection with the incident, per the same KSWO account, and the investigation remains ongoing. It is not yet known whether formal charges have since been filed or what the case's current court status is. Anyone with information on an inmate's custody status can check the Stephens County Sheriff's Office inmate search.
