Accused Camp Shelby Shooter in Custody

Alfred Barria, 61, is charged with misdemeanors for disturbing the peace, although police still can not confirm that shots were ever fired, Perry County Sheriff Jimmy Dale Smith said.

(CNN)For the second straight day, an unidentified man has fired gunshots near the Camp Shelby military post in southern Mississippi, the National Guard said Wednesday. They did not find any weapons in the vehicle, but a search of his home turned up a pistol and long gun.

The claim is backed by his son Alfred Baria Jr., who says that his father’s pickup backfires loudly every time the driver shifts gear and steps on the gas, according to the Associated Press.

Still, Alfred Baria Sr. remains in jail, charged not only with misdemeanor charges of disturbing the peace but also felonies.

Soldiers participating in a training exercise on a Mississippi military base heard noises they believed were gunshots Tuesday and Wednesday.

While authorities were searching for clues, a vehicle pulled up and opened fire. But the 61-year-old Baria told authorities that it wasn’t gunshots at all, just the backfiring of his battered Isuzu.

Information on whether anyone was targeted in either case wasn’t immediately available, though authorities noted that soldiers were at the checkpoint on the county road during Tuesday’s incident. Camp Shelby closed one of its gates, and gate guards are now armed following an executive order from Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant.

The large military base south of Hattiesburg is one of the premier training facilities for National Guard troops from across the country and during the height of the Iraq war was often the last stop for National Guard troops training to go to the Middle East.

However, the sheriff told the news station it’s still under investigation whether shots were actually fired or not.

Smith said Tuesday evening that it wasn’t clear whether that shooting was intentional or could have been related to hunting.

Active and reserve troops train at the Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center, which covers more than 134,000 acres in southern Mississippi about 100 miles from Jackson.