Oxford police are seen at the Round Table Saturday. Courtesy of Anne-Conner Dickerson
The Oxford Police Department is still investigating a shooting incident that occurred early Saturday at the Round Table, a restaurant and bar on the Square.
Robert “Ash” Hollis, 24, was arrested and charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling. No injuries occurred as a result of the gunfire, and upon initial investigation, OPD believes the incident was isolated and accidental.
“Detectives are still trying to garner more video and eyewitness encounters of the incident,” Deputy Chief James Owens said.
Hollis is listed in the 2014-2015 University of Mississippi student directory as a senior economics major from San Antonio, Texas. His bail was set at $10,000, but as of Thursday afternoon, Owens confirmed that he has been released on bond.
Andrea Jordan, a senior public policy major, was at the Round Table when the shot was fired. Although she did not see the gun or Hollis, she recalled the sound clearly.
“It sounded like a bottle rocket going off, like a firework,” she explained.
Jordan said confusion was the initial reaction she saw from others in the bar.
When police officers began rushing into the building, panic ensued.
“That’s when, I think, people realized that it was a gunshot and started leaving,” she said.
Experiencing the incident has caused Jordan to be more aware of her surroundings. She said the next time she goes out, she will “lower her comfort level.”
The Mississippi state constitution reserves the right of every citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person, or property or in the aid of the civil power when thereto legally summoned, but the legislature may regulate or forbid carrying concealed weapons.
Owen advised those who carry firearms to assume all of the risks associated with firearms.
