YUMA, Ariz. – On September 2nd charges were filed in Yuma Municipal court against DPS trooper Tyon Downing Senior according to court records. Downing is charged with two misdemeanors, one for possession of a firearm in the bar and the other for having an open container of alcohol taken out of the bar. The city has confirmed to us that these charges are for an incident that occurred on February 6th, 2015. On that day Downing was at Jimmy Dees bar when he pulled out a handgun and aimed it at a crowd of people. He was then disarmed by a bouncer at Jimmy Dees bar named David Alexandre.
Alexandre was arrested and charged with a felony for allegedly stealing Downings firearm. The gun has never been found according to the police report. The case has sparked outrage on social media as several people who say they were witnesses explain that Alexandre’s action were heroic and potentially saved many lives. According to the police report four violations against Downing, including disorderly conduct and endangerment, were sent to the Yuma County Attorney’s Office who then declined to take the case.We called the office and learned that Deputy County Attorney Mary White was handling the case. We reached out to her for comment to find out why they declined the case but have not heard back.
We were able to get in touch with Ricky Good, the owner of Jimmy Dees, he says that he has no comment about the situation. The Arizona Department of Public Safety says that Downing has been on paid administrative leave since February.
Tyon Downing Sr. will be appearing in Municipal court on September 30th. David Alexandre will have a jury trial starting on December 1st in Superior court.