Backyard target shooter charged after bullet strikes neighbor’s home

A Pahrump man who was target shooting in his backyard is facing several firearm-related charges after a bullet from his gun struck a neighbor’s home.

According to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Nicholas Huggins was dispatched to a residence along Savoy Boulevard on July 10, at approximately 7:28 a.m., where he made contact with the reporting party regarding an alleged weapons offense.

Upon arrival, the nearby neighbor told Huggins that he heard gunshots and later found a bullet hole on the south side of his home.

“The reporting party showed me inside the residence where I observed what appeared to be a 9-mm bullet laying on the floor of the residence,” Huggins’ report stated.

Just a short time later, Huggins was advised that other deputies had tracked the location where the shots were fired.

Popping off rounds

“Deputies reported they had contacted a male, who had admitted to shooting in the direction of the Savoy residence,” according to Huggins. “I then relocated to an address on Turner Boulevard, where upon arrival, I was informed that the suspect had been identified as local resident Bruce McCall.”

The report went on to state that McCall told deputies that he had just recently received his concealed-carry permit and had been target shooting in the northwest corner of his yard.

McCall, according to the report, showed deputies where the firearm was located.

A short time later, a Glock 9mm handgun was recovered out of McCall’s vehicle.

“Upon entering the backyard, I observed a target stapled to a piece of wood in the northwest corner of the Turner address, Huggins noted. “I observed 10 spent 9mm shell casings on the ground slightly to the south of the target. I also observed eight impacts on the target indicating two rounds were unaccounted for.”

While looking at the target from where the casings were located, Huggins said that he noticed the Savoy residence was located directly in the path of where the unaccounted rounds would have gone.

“I also observed multiple other residences in the line of fire,” Huggins said in his report. “The target was posted on a piece of wood that was no more than 12 inches in diameter with no other backdrop.”

As a result of Huggins’ initial investigation, McCall was found to be in violation of alleged assault with a deadly weapon by intentionally placing the reporting party in a reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm by discharging a firearm into an occupied residence, according to the sheriff’s office.

McCall also faces 10 counts of allegedly discharging a firearm where someone may be injured, and discharging a firearm 10 times in a public residential area toward multiple residences where multiple people might be in danger.

Additionally, McCall was also charged for allegedly discharging a firearm into an occupied structure.

He was subsequently arrested and transported to the Nye County Detention Center.

Bail amount was set at $65,000.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes