Home Peppered With Birdshot

[ligonierbill]

Since you're in PA, and it appears to be a safety zone violation, you might get more interest from the District Game Protector.

[GarandTd]

I've considered the game commission. I also thought of the safety zone as more of a hunting related issue. Thanks for that suggestion.

I'm just thinking this all through and weighing my options before I decide what action(if any) I take next.

As a positive, I'm using this as a lesson for my son who will soon be taking his hunter trapper safety course. Im covering a couple scenarios based off last Saturday's events. Accidental discharge and poor hunter judgement.

[bamaranger]

You stated "no record of my call" and then, I believe, "no report". That in my experience is two separate things. Officers, even good ones, despise paperwork and will avoid it if possible. Your trooper may have brushed this off as "unfounded" on the air, to avoid paper. Not right, but it happens.

And......"too late" maybe one officer, or dispatch, covering for another. I'd go back to the barracks, ask (politely and respectfully) for a Supv, and get a clear explanation of the facts from them, and go over yours again. Tell them you want some kind of documentation of your event. The troop was there, you reported it.....where's the record?

When I was in PA, my expectation from the Troopers was very high....this sounds really odd.....I think you can get better results with the right approach.

[Double Naught Spy]

Yesterday, you stated...

A co-worker of mine is friends with the director of 911 in my area. He contacted the director and the director is supposed to call me tomorrow. 911 will have a record of the call even if the police won't acknowledge it.

Okay, today was tomorrow. What did the director of 911 in your area have to say?

I'm just thinking this all through and weighing my options before I decide what action(if any) I take next.

Wait, you are complaining about the state police's lack of action and you are considering not taking any other action to pursue this matter that has you so stressed and that you are NOT OKAY with?

[GarandTd]

The 911 director did not call my wife or I. I've already found the number to contact 911 on a non emergency basis, However, I havent made that call. I looked up the methods in which to lodge a complaint through internal affairs, although I haven't yet.

Regardless of the stress and distractions of this, [this time] life goes on and I have a full time job and and family and home and all the time demands that go along with it. What was one issue to deal with last week is 2 this week. And I'm not well versed in this. I called on the professionals. That was a let down. Im not a lawyer or an officer and I'm handling this the best way I know how....or don't know how, which is why I'm reaching out.

[MandolinMan]

GarandTD--

Have you spoken with your neighbor yet? The situation could have a very simple explanation.

Last year I remember a relative of mine complaining about their neighbor taking random shots at chipmunks in their not-so-rural neighborhood ( with a 12 gauge).

It sounds like this could be a similar scenario.

[foolzrushn]

Look...it happened...you ( or any LEO) have absolutely no way of finding/proving who did this. And that's probably why the trooper let it slide. You are outside a city, and Troopers/Sheriffs etc. have to cover a lot of area. It's not right, because the call needs to be on file in case there are future incidents, agreed. There is no way to undo it, but thankfully no one was injured.

Will your home owners insurance pay for the damage? Get that on file with them.

Your co-worker may not have called (emails are better) the Director, that's your job anyway, or your wife's if you can't due to work hours.

I have previously given my best advice, and I would be upset too. I think MandolinMan is on the right track. It's good to think things out before acting. This isn't something that will change if you don't hurry.

Using this as an example of gun carelessness for your son is good. Just remember that he is also watching how Dad copes with the stress.

[Double Naught Spy]

Well, it has now been a week. Damage was absolutely minimal. There is no report. You tampered with the evidence. You refuse to talk to your neighbor. You are taking a lot of time to follow up with what to do instead of actually acting. YOU have to follow up. Timeliness is important. You seem to have plenty of time to research the issue but no time to make calls yourself. See the problem?

As was pointed out by OBD, et al., there is no way there will be any sort of determination who peppered your house. If you want a report filed, you gotta get off your butt and call the police to come out and take a report. Waiting longer does NOT benefit you.

[dreaming]

Since their was no damage, there is no point in reporting the incident to the insurance carrier.

Earlier I said to file a complaint with the police concerning the failure of the trooper to make any kind of report. I was putting the cart ahead of the horse and as others have suggested, instead of filing a complaint at this point ask for an explanation of what is going on from a supervisor. Then you can decide if a complaint is warranted or if everything that can or should be done has been done.

[GarandTd]

I have contacted the 911 county office to inquire if those records are available. They are, but not to me without a subpoena. My wife made the call so, si she might be able to make the request. I was given a name and number to call and a m-f schedule when the office is open.

I went to the neighbors. They weren't home or weren't answering the door. I'll try again later, tomorrow, or whatever.

I didn't get the name of the uniformed trooper that responded in his marked Explorer. Also, according to the responder at the Barracks when I DID flow up, said there was no record of call or report. With that in mind, I don't know how much internally there is to investigate.

Again whether I agree or not, I appreciate the opinions and suggestions brought forth on this thread. That being said, I have been taking action. Making the calls. And talking to neighbors. Not "sitting on my butt".

[Nathan]

So, you've posted about it here, have you walked around and chatted it up with the neighborhood? That is your best path forward.

[GarandTd]

I've made this very public so that everyone around me is aware. I have no problem publicly shaming a wreck less shooter. Whoever it may have been.

While I may be a hybrid of influence from around this country(USA), a city slicker I am not. Amongst a 1000 acres or .75, I don't take kindly to shots fired at my house. Shot that impacted at a height range that could've injured any member of my family. A shot taken at close range with a firearm and projectile that doesn't have long range capabilities.

I hope none of you experience stray gunfire at your home and if you do, I hope there doesn't need to be blood shed to merit a report or even a safety concern. I was fortunate that nothing more serious resulted.

God bless.

[tangolima]

Garandtd. I'm with you on this one. It happens that people have guns but little decency (they know but they don't care) or brain (they simply don't know).

When my previous neighbor used the wood fence between us as backdrop for their air rifles and ninja star darts, I let them know. They were the 2nd kind. It was comical to see them wearing eye protections, firing in our way, and yet didn't know what the problem was. They got it when I told them to turn 90 degrees and fire into their own house. To their credit, they stopped. I did caught them doing that one more time though. They apologized and told me they thought I wasn't at home! I let them know that the police would be involved when I needed to talk to them on this matter again. I also let them know it was fine for them to shoot or throw in their own backyard, but just not in our direction. They truly stopped after that.

It may be your neighbor, or not. They may be the 1st or 2nd kind. You should let them know what happened and that you will escalate if it happens again. If they are the 1st kind, this gives them chance to catch up. If they are the 2nd kind they will know you don't care that they don't care. If they didn't do it at all, it is neighborly to alert them.

Since you are not ready to escalate, the police report may not be that critical, perhaps not worth the stress trying to get to the bottom of the matter. You will do it better should it happen the next time though.

-TL

[shafter]

I'm highly skeptical that the state police have no documentation of the incident. They would have a record of it being dispatched to the trooper and most likely would have some sort of disposition. Whether or not a report was written is another matter.

I'm not sure what sort of resolution you were expecting but it's not like the state police are going to run ballistics on your birdshot sample The trooper may have spoken to your neighbors who probably denied it. Without a witness or some sort of evidence like a fresh shotgun shell or a shotgun on the neighbors porch there isn't much to investigate.

[dreaming]

You are on the right track, now that you are going to talk with the neighbor. Just keep it neighborly. If their is a problem, do not escalate things but speak with an attorney or call the trooper back.

As for proving things, LEOs are smarter than they are often given credit for and your neighbor, if they fired the shot, may own up to things.

Unless your state is unusual, it will be costly for you to get a subpoena for the 911 tape. s has been suggested, just contact a super at the trooper barracks and politely ask what has been done about your call. Tell the super that you understand there is not record of a trooper responding to or acting on it, which mystifies you. If you do not receive a satisfactory explanation, then ask with whom you may speak regarding a complaint as to how the matter has been handled. Some jurisdictions have a civilian authority that you may go to specifically for making police complaints. As with your neighbor, be polite as I am sure you will.

As the last poster indicated, there likely are records of the incident even if you may not be permitted access to an un-redacted copy.

[AKexpat]

I am pretty much in the GWillikers line of thought. What part of New York city are you from? Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill. Maybe it was terrorists.

I tend to agree with the bolded comment. I live in SW WA State on 14 acres of bottom land in a very rural area, just outside (1/4 mile) of the town limits of a small town of 600 in elk country (Modern Rifle hunting season is currently underway here until Nov. 16). We grow and harvest grass hay and oats.

You're talking about a few pellets of birdshot hitting your house.

I'm talking about redneck road-hunters with loaded centerfire rifles in Easy-Rider rifle racks (against the law) patrolling the roads around sunrise for elk. I have resorted to taking digital pictures of them with the flash on in plain view of them as they cruise by at 15-20 mph in their "Hunter Orange" vests, and that has deterred them a bit. Six years ago one of them killed a spike-fork elk in my next-door neighbor's pasture only 100' from our house, the shot was fired in our direction, from the road, and they proceeded to gut it there and leave the gut-pile behind to rot here.

Slobs.

If we call 911, we are 30+ minutes from any response unless a deputy sheriff is in the area, which is seldom to never. Forget about the WA State Patrol.

I am 64 and we chose to live out here 10 years ago to get away from the urban gang-bangers and the random shootings that happen there.

If you don't like everything that goes with living in a rural area, I suggest you relocate to a more "civilized" location.

I'll trade situations with you, sir, but not locations.

Chill out and have a good day, sir.

[g.willikers]

Termites can do more damage than that.
Idjts with weapons will always be among us.
There's no escape.
At a 3D archery match, we were taking a lunch break in the shade of the side of a barn.
Hearing a thud above our heads, I looked up and saw an arrow still vibrating in the side of the barn, maybe five feet above us.
Don't know who it was or what they could have been shooting at.
But they're out there.

[AKexpat]

Yes, they are out there.

[Shane Tuttle]

OK, I believe this has run its course.