Posted on 09/20/2002 6:28:50 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Friends, community 'numb' after Pollock shooting death Mandy M. Goodnight / The Town Talk Posted on September 20, 2002
POLLOCK - A day after a 47-year-old father of five was randomly shot and killed as he drove down U.S. Highway 165, friends said they remain "numb."
Cleveland Ray Cannon, Jr. of Pollock was shot at least once in the upper torso as he was driving to Alexandria to sit with his hospitalized mother.
Jimmy Jack Maddox, 26, of Burleson, Texas, is accused of firing at Cannon's vehicle.
Grant Parish sheriff's investigators said the two appear to be strangers and the motive for the shooting is unknown.
Funeral services for Cannon are 2 p.m. today at the chapel of Rush Funeral Home in Pineville.
Maddox was in Georgetown visiting his relatives. He apparently got into an argument with his girlfriend before leaving the residence with a stolen gun.
Detectives speculated Thursday that Maddox might have been heading back to Texas when he fired shots at Cannon's vehicle.
Detectives did not say why Maddox fired the shots and whether he was parked on the side of the road or was driving by.
Investigators were able to interview Maddox, but they are not releasing any specific information on the case.
Maddox did appear in court Thursday, where bail was set at $110,000 on the aggravated assault and aggravated burglary charges. However, no bail was set on the second-degree murder charge. He remains in the Grant Parish Jail.
The Town Talk was unable to reach members of Maddox's family for comment.
Investigators said the investigation into what happened Wednesday morning continues.
It appears Maddox argued with people at the Georgetown residence he was visiting after arguing with his girlfriend. He allegedly went next door and stole a handgun from a vehicle, then threatened at least one person at the house with it.
Maddox drove off in an acquaintance's vehicle and appears to have driven north on U.S. 165, investigators said.
Cannon pulled onto U.S. 165 from La. Highway 524, headed to Alexandria. He had driven his wife home and was going back to a hospital to sit with his father. His mother was recovering from triple bypass surgery.
In the span of less than a mile, Cannon was shot and went off into a ditch just past Dyson Creek Road. Cannon's vehicle left no visible skid marks on the road but was going fast enough to split a telephone pole.
On Wednesday, a portion of the pole was hanging from wires over the ditch. The other part was on the ground.
Fifteen minutes after deputies were alerted to the Georgetown incident, they received the report of Cannon's one-vehicle accident.
Deputies were unaware that Cannon had been shot until he arrived at Rapides Regional Medical Center. He was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Maddox was arrested on Bethel Church Road off of La. Highway 8 at about 6:30 a.m. He had abandoned the stolen vehicle and was walking. He was arrested without incident.
Little is known about Maddox, but Cannon was a native of Pineville and drove to Alexandria every day to work at Robin Ewing Pool Supplies.
The U.S. Marine veteran had worked at the store since March and was described as an "excellent man" and someone with "good character."
Robin Ewing, owner of the store, said the loss of Cannon was a blow to his company and to the community.
"It is a tragic thing," he said.
Ewing said he and his workers had a difficult day Wednesday when they learned of Cannon's death.
"We are still numb," he said. "It is hard to rationalize what happened."
Sheriff's Investigator Tim Montgomery agreed. He said people in the parish are in shock and "it is upsetting" to them.
"This appears to be a senseless crime," he said.
Mandy M. Goodnight: 487-6465;
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