Crime & Safety
Charges Upgraded Against Ex-Police Cadet In Academy Shooting
Police upgraded charges against former cadet Clayton Whatley, 21, after a classmate accused of him of trying to shoot her, police said.
TEXAS CITY, TX — A former Texas City Police cadet whose gun went off during an academy class last month wounding three of his classmates is facing new charges. Officials said Clayton Whatley, 21, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Whatley told police that he was reaching into his backpack for a pencil at the academy during an April 25 class when his weapon went off, grazing one of the students and injuring two others with bullet fragments.
Whatley told investigators it was an accident, but a female student told investigators she believes he may have intentionally tried to shoot her, and pulled the trigger a little too early, KTRK reported.
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The woman told police the two had a falling out and things began to get weird between the two before the shooting.
Whatley, who was initially charged with unlawful carrying of a weapon, is free on bond.
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READ ALSO: Cadet Charged After 3 Are Wounded In Shooting At Police Academy
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