A 75-year-old Allen man who admitted to shooting at construction workers who were "irritating him" was arrested early Wednesday morning, police say. [[416798903,C]]
Allen police called in the SWAT team after construction workers reported hearing a gun fired from an apartment in the 300 block of Greenville Avenue at 1:56 a.m.
Police said they surrounded the apartment and made several attempts to contact the man, later identified as Roy Dale Rogers.
Rogers exited the apartment peacefully at 5:16 a.m. and was taken into custody without incident, according to authorities.
Police said Rogers was initially detained for questioning. He later admitted to shooting at the construction workers because he was annoyed by the noise they were making. Rogers is charged with deadly conduct.
John Duncan is the general superintendent with JDS Contractors and was on scene when the shot was fired.
Duncan said Rogers was yelling obscenities at a worker across the street before going back in and coming out with the rifle.
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"Being shot at really hasn’t sunk in yet, I guess. I mean, we’re just here to do a job," Duncan said. "I don’t think he was trying to hurt anybody, I think he was just frustrated. I mean, look at all the construction in this city."
Duncan said construction noise hadn't begun at that time, crews were simply setting up.
Neighbors said Rogers was yelling about bright lights shining into his home before the shot was fired.
Construction within 500 feet of homes is not permitted in Allen between the hours of 8 p.m. and 7 a.m., but city officials said the construction crew had applied for and received special permission to pour concrete at 2 a.m. at the site where a new section of Lowery Freshman Center is being built.
The company also passed out fliers to nearby residents warning them of the overnight work.
"They did everything right," said Allen Police Sgt. Jon Felty. "He just didn't like it."
Lee Lewis Construction released the following statement Wednesday afternoon.
Lee Lewis Construction is aware of the incident at the new Lowery 9th Grade Center construction site in Allen the early morning hours of March 22. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and the Allen Police Department and SWAT Unit resolved the situation peacefully.
It is common practice in the construction industry to place concrete in the early morning hours to work around traffic, hot weather, and wet weather. Lee Lewis Construction met with the city of Allen to discuss our desire to place concrete in the early morning hours of March 22 and received approval from the city. Lee Lewis Construction also walked the surrounding neighborhood and passed out fliers informing the residents of our intentions of the early morning concrete placement.
Lee Lewis Construction strives to be a good neighbor in the communities in which we work. We make every effort to keep our clients and our neighbors informed throughout the construction process. Safety and cleanliness in and around our jobsites are a top priority on each and every project.
