“Man with a Gun” Charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm

The Paris Police Department received a man with a gun call at 1:31 p.m. on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at a store in the 200 block of 1st St. SW. Officers arrived in less than thirty seconds and took the suspect, who had been tackled by some employees of the business, into custody. Officers determined the scene to be secure but closed the area
around the store as a precaution.

Witnesses told officers that the suspect, later identified as Jesse James Thompson, had approached employees of a store in the 200 block of 1st St SW, asking for the
proprietor of the business. Witnesses stated that Thompson raised an AR-type gun toward the business owner, at which time some employees tackled Thompson and took control of the weapon. According to witnesses, during the struggle, the suspect attempted to pull a semi-automatic handgun from within his clothing, which the employees also wrestled from the suspect.

Police officers determined that Thompson had driven to the business in a rented van. Officers could not safely identify some items observed in the vehicle, including an electronic device that was beeping, and requested assistance from the Plano Police Department Bomb Squad. The secure area was expanded to include approximately two city blocks with the help of Paris Fire and EMS departments, Lamar County Sheriff Deputies, and Texas DPS officers. Five members of the Plano bomb squad arrived at 4:10 p.m. and determined the items of concern were not likely to be explosive but destroyed some of the items on-site as a precaution. Police located several additional weapons, ammunition, a large sum of cash, and other items in the van.

Officers arrested Jesse James Thompson 45 of Paris in the 200 block of SW 1st. Thompson was charged with two counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and one count of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Police cleared the scene at 7:41 p.m., and the wrecker transported the rental van to the Paris Police Department for further processing. The investigation remains active, and police will not release any additional information at this time.