FRANKLIN
A Franklin man is behind bars after allegedly firing a gun in an alley near his residence.

Maurice Lamont Lankford, 31, of the 400 block of Cobb Street, was charged with discharging a firearm in public, and convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

After receiving a report of gunshots being fired on Monday at 1:27 p.m., Franklin Police officers responded and found that the suspect had already fled the scene, said Captain Tim Whitt, spokesman for the Franklin Police Department.

Officers found spent .45 caliber cartridge casings in the area where the shots had been fired. The police were told that the suspect had gone inside a residence on Cobb Street, and they attempted to make contact. Movement could be heard inside the house, however, no one answered the door.

After a short period, two men came out of the residence. A search of the house led to the recovery of a .45 caliber pistol and ammunition hidden inside the chimney.

Lankford was then taken into custody, but the other man was not charged.

He has been bonded from the police department.