Austin Sound

Hey, remember that time country legend Billy Joe Shaver shot that guy in the face and then drove off, and even came down to Austin to play an instore at Waterloo while an arrest warrant was out for him? Yeah, that was just last year! Last week the 69 year old Texas Country Music Hall of Famer was officially indicted by a McLennan County grand jury on second degree felony charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a handgun by a license holder on licensed premises. Shaver could face up 20 years in prison if convicted!

The details in the case are a little sketchy still, with Shaver’s attorney saying that the victim, Billy B. Coker, followed Shaver outside of Papa Joe’s Texas Saloon in Lorena and was “drunk, aggressive and had a knife,” according to the Associated Press. But the AP also quotes a witness from the arrest warrant affidavit that says Shaver followed Coker outside “and asked, ‘Where do you want it?’ before shooting him in the face.” We’re guessing that Coker did not respond asking to be shot in the face. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that Shaver wasn’t even aware of the indictment.

We’ll keep you posted as Shaver’s case goes to trial, though no date is currently set.