Councilwoman Pauline Monley turned herself in Monday after a viral Facebook video shows Monley firing a gun toward one person and later assaulting a woman in a Walmart parking lot on Saturday.
What We Know:
- Summit, Mississippi Councilwoman Pauline Monley, is seen in the video wearing a pink long-sleeved shirt and khaki shorts, walking with a gun and shouting, “You’re going to jail.” Next, she can be seen firing the weapon and walking away in the other direction. Shortly after, Monley approached another woman and began to hit her on the head while still holding the gun.
- According to WLBT-TV, one of the victims, Lillian Martin, is the current fiancé of Monley’s ex-girlfriend. Martin told reporters that she ran from Monley when someone screamed that she had a gun. It has not been reported if the fiancé was at the scene.
- After being released, Monley told WJTV-TV that the video does not capture the whole story. According to the councilwoman, she was attacked first and simply acting in self-defense. “She hit me across my head. As she hit me, I stumbled. My glasses fell on the ground. I picked them up, and as she was still coming at me, I grabbed my gun. It was all in self-defense on my part,” said Monley to the news outlet.
- McComb Police Chief Garland Ward says Monley was charged with domestic violence, simple assault, and discharging a firearm. In regard to her position on the council, it is still undecided if she will lose her job or not. Summit Mayor Percy Robinson said Monley had done a good job as a councilwoman and that it his not his decision to make.
Summit is in Pike County and has a population of around 1,700 people. According to AP News data, the town is about 77 miles (124 kilometers) west of Hattiesburg.
