The first incident took place on Rolland Lane in Palm Coast on Feb. 2. The second took place on Roxboro Drive, either Saturday night or Sunday morning. In both cases, residents of the houses at the two addresses awoke to find several bullet holes on the front of their house, their garage doors or their vehicles.
The sheriff’s office says it doesn’t know whether there is a connection between the two incidents.
Late the night of Feb. 2, the resident at 9 Rolland reported to police hearing five gunshot, possibly coming from his neighbor at 7 Rolland Lane. But when deputies spoke with the resident at 7 Rolland, 29-year-old Cecil Hubert, he told them that all was OK, and that he’d not heard any gunshots: he’d been asleep on the couch, he said.
The next day, however, as Hubert was taking out the garbage, he noticed five bullet holes at the front of his house, he told police. The incident report later notes that it was Hubert’s cousin, Derrick Smith, 45, who found the bullet holes and called Hubert back to the house. Hubert then called police.
An incident report notes “multiple gunshots to the front of the residence and garage,” including a gunshot that penetrated through the garage for and struck the back of a Chevrolet parked inside. The sheriff’s office’s Crime Scene Investigation unit responded to the scene to process it. “There is no indication what caliber weapon was involved in the incident at 7 Rolland Lane,” a sheriff’s spokesman said.
Hubbert was questioned about what the incident report refers to as “enemies or persons of interest.” The subsequent part of the incident report–about three paragraphs–is redacted. But the report also lists one suspect (whose identifying information is also redacted). But no arrests were made.
Nicholas Meyer, a 26-year-old resident of a W-Section house, but whose father-in-law lives at the Rolland Lane home, told police that he’d left the house the previous evening around 9 p.m. and returned Sunday morning, when he noticed that several bullets had been fired at the house, hitting the side of the house, the garage door, and a vehicle inside.
An entry hole was discovered in the passenger side door of a Chrysler Sebring convertible. “The hole appeared to be the size of a. 380 and or a 9mm,” the incident report states. The reporting deputy continued: “I then noticed two holes in the fence of the neighbor’s house of 1 Rockwell Lane. The holes were in
the second and third panels from the left side of the fence, closet to 6 Roxboro Lane. In the second panel the hole was to the right side of the panel and approximately 2 feet off the ground. The second hole was in the third panel at the top right hand side, approximately 5 inches from the top of the panel.”
Meyer took the deputy to the northeast corner of Roxboro Lane and Rockwell Lane, where casings were on the ground, at the edge of the road. One casing appeared to be from a .380 shell. It was sitting upright with the primer end next to the road. The deputy then discovered two additional casings within 3 feet of the area from the original casing. The second and third casings were buried in the ground as if they were run over by a vehicle.
The sheriff’s office’s CSI unit arrived on scene and collected evidence. Deputies, using a metal detector, located two more shell casings approximately 3 feet north of the previous three. The two casings were in the grass, one was facing up and the other laying down. A projectile was located, buried in the dirt, with the top showing, next to the wall of 6 Roxboro Lane. In all, five casings and four projectiles were located.
The deputy interviewed the resident at 1 Rockwell Lane about the holes in her fence, which she had not noticed. She told police she’d gone to sleep around midnight and not heard any shots–and that her dogs did not make any sound. “Several property owners in the area stopped and inquired about the scene,” the deputy reported in the incident report. “I asked if they had heard any gun shots in the area within the last couple of weeks and no one gave a positive answer.”
The day after the first incident was reported, in an unrelated incident, an 18-year-old Palm Coast man shot his 18-year-old friend with an AK-47 on Parkview Drive, in a house directly across the street from Wadsworth Elementary, where after-school activities were still taking place. The sheriff’s office termed the shooting accidental.
confidential says
Welcome to the new Palm Coast!
Michael says
Remember, some people at home will shoot back, it may not end up going your way as just causing mischief. This is what happens when an idiot gets a hold of a weapon, I own several weapons, but I am for stricter gun control for this reason, not everyone should be able to own a firearm
Supporter says
Yes but it doesn’t always work that way I was arrested for discharging a firearm in December when somebody tried coming into my home and then assaulted my father and I discharged a shotgun I LEGALLY own and I did that because I didn’t want the situation to escalate to were he would pull a gun or knife. Funny how that didn’t make the news.
David S. says
This happens everyhere now look and Jacksonville and Orlando.
Sherry Epley says
Welcome to the Wild West of the down side to the ridiculous interpretation of the 2nd amendment! You know. . . the one where having everyone “armed to the teeth” was suppose to make us safer. NOT!
maryann says
Palm Compton.
Ive got money these firearms are not legally possessed. Most (and I said most) legal gun owners do not act so immaturely and dangerously with their firearms.
Sherry Epley says
Here’s the reality of our lack of gun safety regulations:
1. All it takes is one irresponsible hot head or young person playing with an AK47 and mass murder of innocent people can easily happen.
2. Even guns purchased legally by a “responsible” gun owner can be stolen, given or sold to an irresponsible person or even a criminal. Once they are in public circulation they are not tracked and the original owner is not really held responsible for where they end up or how the may be misused.
3. When more and more guns are out there in circulation with no oversight, there is more of a chance that guns will fall into irresponsible/criminal hands.
4. Yes, hardened criminals will always find a way to get a gun. BUT, our irresponsible “armed to the teeth” culture just makes it easier for them because guns are now much more readily available.
5. Next, this creates an escalated paranoia where even well intentioned, normally reasonable people feel the need to arm themselves 24/7 with a more and more powerful arsonal. Which in turn creates the need for the police to carry and use even more powerful weapons, just to keep themselves secure. It’s then a slippery slope to something akin to a militarized state.
6. Logic should tell all reasonable citizens that there is no way having more and more guns in circulation with such lax regulations could end any other way. We will continue to be less safe in our homes and neighborhoods until the proliferation of the sheer number of guns in public circulation is greatly curtailed, and responsible gun regulations are implemented and strongly enforced.
godscountry says
I’m all about the right to bear arms,but when is enough enough,when a bullet strikes your sleeping child,or other loved one.Then what ?Why not a federal and state funded program, to purchase these guns offer enough incentment to turn them in .Whats wrong with ,making a non professional’s wait until age 30 to purchase a pistol and acquire carry permit.It will have no effect on those that need a gun,but will ultimately make our neighborhoods a little safer.We don’t need young adults riding around with pistols,legal or not.I never needed a gun growing up and any child or young adult who thinks he needs one, might want to take a long hard look at the where his life is headed.There are alternative paths to take.