Jadeveon Clowney’s father charged with attempted murder after shots fired outside Rock Hill strip club

The father of NFL player Jadeveon Clowney is in jail on attempted murder charges after Rock Hill police say he fired shots outside a strip club early Tuesday morning.

David Morgan, 45, nicknamed “Chilli Bean,” is a convicted felon who spent several years in prison while his son was a football star at South Pointe High School. His previous convictions, which range from assault and battery to burglary, date back to age 17.

Morgan fired several shots at an employee of the Crazy Horse Showclub after Morgan had been removed for sitting on the stage, according to a Rock Hill police report. The victim told police he saw Morgan standing by a wall near the back of the property around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, the report states, and Morgan fired several shots at him.

The employee of Rock Hill’s only adult entertainment club told police he returned fire only after Morgan shot at him.

Police found Morgan at Piedmont Medical Center with a gunshot wound in the shoulder, the report states. He was charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Bond was denied Wednesday morning.

At that hearing, a judge will determine whether Morgan qualifies for a public defender. It is unclear if Morgan is employed. Attempted murder carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison upon conviction. Weapons charges carry up to five years.

Clowney is on the inactive list for the Houston Texans professional football team after undergoing microfracture knee surgery in December. Team officials have said they expect him back this season. The football star was the number one pick in the 2014 NFL draft after a standout career at the University of South Carolina.

Clowney’s mother and grandfather both said Clowney was told early Tuesday of his father’s arrest, and he is “highly upset.”

A Rock Hill native, Clowney is one of the most well-known sports figures in America, and his rehabilitation from knee surgery has been well-documented by sports media. But his father’s arrest puts an unwanted and unwarranted spotlight on Clowney, his family said, as he tries to make his mark in the NFL.

When Clowney was a child, his mother worked long hours at Charlotte’s Frito-Lay plant while Morgan was spending a dozen years in prison. After his release from prison – especially during the high-profile recruitment of Clowney by scores of major colleges – Morgan sometimes appeared with his son. He was with him at South Pointe the day Clowney announced his decision to attend the University of South Carolina.

Attempts to reach Clowney through his agent, James “Bus” Cook, were unsuccessful Tuesday.

York County prosecutors declined to comment on the specifics of the case.

“He will be treated the same as any defendant charged with a crime in York County criminal court,” 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett said.

Police recovered two guns from the scene. Because Morgan is a convicted felon, he is barred by both state and federal law from possessing a gun. Federal punishments for gun violations can be as much as 10 years in prison.

In 1995, Morgan was sentenced to 15 years in prison after convictions for burglary and other crimes. His criminal record that dates back to 1987 and includes convictions for trespassing, damage to property, resisting arrest, grand larceny and other crimes, state records show.

He has been charged with two traffic offenses since his release from prison but no felonies, according to the State Law Enforcement Division. In April, Morgan was fined after he was convicted in Fort Mill magistrate court for driving too fast for conditions.

In January 2012 – when Clowney and the Gamecocks were playing in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla. – Morgan was charged by Orlando police with trespassing, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct, according to Florida court records. In that case, Morgan claimed to be indigent with an income of $700 every two weeks, records show, and he asked for a public defender before he was released on bond.

Those charges were later dismissed, court records show.

It is unclear if Morgan was employed at the time of his arrest Tuesday. After his release from prison, Morgan worked for two stretches for Comer Distributing, a Rock Hill beverage company, said Chip Comer, president of the company. Morgan worked in the warehouse, he said, but had to be let go twice.

“We gave him two (chances) at it,” Comer said, “but it just didn’t work out.”

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Jadeveon Clowney’s father charged with attempted murder after shots fired outside Rock Hill strip club."