Shaver Indicted On Shooting Charges

Country singer Billy Joe Shaver has been indicted by a grand jury on charges stemming from a shooting incident outside a Texas bar in April 2007.

Shaver will reportedly face two felony charges – aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and the unlawful carrying of a handgun by a license holder on a licensed premises.

The singer, who was not present for the indictment, claimed he was unaware of the McLennan County Court proceedings until contacted by a fan, according to the local Waco Tribune-Herald.

“No one notified me or my lawyer that this was about to happen,” Shaver told the paper. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t talk about it right now.”

Shaver allegedly followed another patron, Billy Coker, outside Papa Joe’s Texas Saloon in Lorena after an argument, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

After reportedly asking Coker, “Where do you want it?’ Shaver shot the man in the cheek and then fled the scene, the affidavit said. The line became the inspiration for a song by Austin singer-songwriter Dale Watson, which can be viewed here.

While Coker has claimed the shooting was unprovoked, attorneys for Shaver have said the singer acted in self-defense.

Shaver, who reportedly hadn’t turned himself in to authorities at press time, was scheduled to perform at a free concert in Greenville, Texas, Sept. 19.