Sheriff’s deputies capture suspect wanted for shooting into vehicle on Sunday

Warren County Sheriff’s Deputies have captured the suspect that fled the scene after shooting into an occupied vehicle Sunday evening on Old Highway 27.

Thomas Bruce Wilkerson, 31, is facing charges of aggravated domestic violence, shooting into an occupied vehicle and convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Wilkerson is already on probation for two 2019 convictions of grand larceny and cruelty to animals.  He is being held without bond and is expected to make an initial appearance in court for the new charges on Tuesday.

Wilkerson and his girlfriend, who will remain unnamed, attended a birthday party on the 2900 block of Old Highway 27 Sunday evening.  When the girlfriend attempted to leave, Wilkerson reportedly shot into her vehicle, striking the car at least twice.  The woman was not struck by the gunfire, but the attack did cause her car to leave the roadway and crash into a ditch.

Bullet holes show how close the shots came to striking the driver (photo by David Day).

Wilkerson fled the scene on foot and has attempted to elude authorities since.  Deputies spotted him Monday afternoon in a vehicle on Fisher Ferry Road, near its intersection with Nailor Road, and he jumped from the vehicle once again fleeing on foot.  Deputies and K-9s searched the wooded areas around that location for several hours without success.

At around 2 p.m., Wilkerson was located at a mobile home on Impala Drive.  Sheriff Martin Pace, several deputies as well as the VPD Narcotics K-9 team made entry into the trailer and found the suspect hiding under a bed within reach of a loaded, half-cocked .38 revolver.

Wilkerson has a long history on the wrong side of the law.  In May, we covered his arrest after he walked away from a MDOC work site in Greenwood. Wilkerson was serving concurrent sentences from Warren County related to incidents that occurred in July 2017. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison with two to serve on charges of injuring a Warren County Sheriff’s K-9 following a brief chase on July 9, 2017. Wilkerson slammed K-9 Soldier to the ground, injuring the dog. He was also sentenced to five years in prison with two to serve on a grand larceny charge.