A 33-year-old man who owns a bail bonding company in Tuscaloosa was arrested Wednesday night and charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting one of his clients in the back after the victim failed to show up at an assigned court date.
Sgt. Dale Phillips, the commander of the Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit, said James McGiboney, the owner of a bonding company called Jailbusters, was at his office on Greensboro Avenue Wednesday night when he called a 21-year-old man and asked him to meet up at Jailbusters.
Phillips said the man McGiboney called had missed his day in court and Jailbusters was going to be held responsible for his bond payment. The 21-year-old arrived at the office, but later told investigators that he was extremely hesitant to go inside, suspicious of McGiboney's story that he just needed to sign some court paperwork.
He was eventually coaxed inside though, and Phillips said that's when McGiboney locked the door behind him, displayed the handgun he was carrying and claimed he was arresting the 21-year-old. A fight broke out, and Phillips said it ended when McGiboney shoved his victim through the glass door of the building. The man started running, and McGiboney allegedly opened fire on the man.
Officers, investigators and emergency personnel arrived at the office around 10 p.m. and found the 21-year-old shot in the lower back. He was rushed to the emergency room at DCH Regional Medical Center while McGiboney was arrested and taken to the Tuscaloosa County Jail.
McGiboney was charged with one county of attempted murder and was booked in the jail pending a $60,000 bond. The bondsman is already out of police custody on payment of that bond.
The victim of the shooting required emergency surgery, but Phillips said he is listed as stable at DCH.
http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index.ssf/2014/02/bail_bondsman_in_tuscaloosa_ar.html#incart_river
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