Florida Mom Gets Shot By Neighbor Who Missed Target While Practice Shooting

A Florida mother of three is recovering from a severe gunshot wound after being hit by a bullet fired from a high-powered rifle from neighbors who were next door target shooting.

Heather Sitton was scheduled to have surgery on Monday as a result of the Sunday afternoon incident in Indiantown, Florida, Orlando Sentinel reported.

Target Shooting Mishap

According to reports, a bullet entered Sitton's right arm, shattered the bone, exited the arm, and then struck her clavicle and left art. Sitton also said that her 8-year-old daughter had just stood in the identical spot.

When they heard gunshots from a nearby home, Heather's husband, Jason Sitton, stated there were several people in their backyard at the time, including their three small children. The family also owns chickens, a mule, a donkey, pigs, and dogs on their property.

People in that area frequently use their backyards for target practice and hear gunshots, according to Jason Sitton.

On Sunday, though, the bullets were heading straight for their home.

The mother was flown to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center in Fort Pierce, nearly an hour away by car. She told reporters that she still is grateful that it did not hit any of the children.

According to the station, sheriff's detectives found the shot likely came from a neighbor's property where four people were taking turns firing at paper targets on a 5-foot-tall berm with one gun, but the bullet soared high, traveling roughly 900 feet and into Sitton's yard.

Authorities Asks People to Exercise Caution When Using Firearms

The owner of the land claimed in an incident report that the four people shooting there did not have permission to shoot on his property.

It is legal to shoot on that property and in a backyard, according to Budensiek, but safety precautions must be taken.

The weapon used, according to Lt. Joe Kukuvka, was a high-powered rifle.

"High-powered rifle fire can go up to a couple of miles in some cases," Kukuvka explained, "so if you don't have a solid backstop, you'll need a lot of distance behind you."

Target practice is not unlawful, according to Martin County Chief Deputy John Budensiek, and investigators were unable to determine which of the four persons fired the round. Despite the fact that the incident is still being investigated, no charges have been filed.

A neighbor and local business owner, Mark Rutizer, said he reported gunfire from the same property off of Amaryllis Street to the Martin County Sheriff's Office just a few months ago.

"I've said before that someone will be shot," Rutizer said. "And that unfortunately happened yesterday."

Deputies hope that this serves as a timely reminder to shoot safely and consider who might be lurking beyond the barrel.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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