A Westside woman is furious after a stray bullet struck her window on New Year’s Eve and is demanding the city and JSO step up to address crime on Nussbaum Drive.
63-year-old Theresa Johnston was watching fireworks on television on New Year’s Eve at home with a friend when a bullet came through her window and struck a chair in her living room where her friend had just been sitting.
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“Minutes before it happened. And she just got up and went to the restroom and I was still sitting there, you know, three feet further to the right and I’d be having that bullet hole in me,” said Johnston.
Johnston said the bullet that hit her home wasn’t the only one fired that night.
“When it gets to being bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang… You know it ain’t a firework and I bet you there was at least 100 shells down there that they shot off,” said Johnston.
Johnston showed us a wooded area near her home where she believes that shot originated from.
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While checking out the location on Wednesday afternoon, we found two shell casings.
Those are on top of the multiple shell casings Johnston had already removed from the area and handed over to police.
JSO Director of Patrol and Enforcement Joe Cowan said incidents of people shooting into the air or down the street are definitely more common on certain holidays.
“We do see a spike in holidays associated with fireworks. So, 4th of July or New Years in this case,” said Cowan.
Penalties can vary depending on the situation.
Illegally shooting a gun on public or residential property is a first-degree misdemeanor and can land a person in jail for a year and a fine of up to $1,000.
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If the bullet is fired from a car, or if it hits an occupied residence like in Johnston’s case, the penalty increases to a second-degree felony, which carries a punishment of up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Theresa told Action News Jax she’s been dissatisfied with JSO’s response and wants to see major changes to the way her Westside neighborhood is policed moving forward.
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“That’s ridiculous when a person cannot sit in their home and watch their TV and be at peace. I ain’t mess with nobody, I ain’t done nothing to nobody. But all of a sudden, a bullet comes flying through my house? Something’s wrong with this city,” said Johnston.
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