Man accused of firing shots near local park; families say they were evacuated from kids’ game
A man shooting on a private range fired shots near a Lincolnton park Tuesday evening, according to police.
At around 7:15 p.m., officers responded to a shots fired call at Betty G. Ross Park. An off-duty officer who was also at the park reported to duty, investigated and found a private shooting range nearby.
Lincolnton- over at Betty Ross Park where parents and children took cover last night after reports of someone firing into the park. Police say those rounds came from a nearby shooting range. Their investigation and what the man firing the rifle just told me on channel 9 at 5, 6pm pic.twitter.com/SaSoVyyfCD
— Dave Faherty (@FahertyWSOC9) May 18, 2022
Parents who were at the park for their children’s flag football practice told Channel 9′s Dave Faherty that they had to rush off the field when they heard the shots. Some parents said the director of the park told everyone to run and get off the field immediately.
Lauran Lane said that at least three of the rounds came into the park, striking a fence, a light pole and near where people were standing. She said some people started screaming and running.
“It’s a miracle and by the grace of God nobody was hit. We had one parent very close to being hit. The next bullet hit the pole right above where we were standing,” she said.
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While investigating, an officer said he found a man on the other side of the South Fork River on private property. The man told the officer that he was shooting recreationally and did not intentionally target the park.
Police said they determined that the shots going into the park had ricocheted off a steel plate.
“Something needs to be done. They shouldn’t be able to shoot that close to parks or a playground. There’s a playground over there. You know it was scary,” said mother Ashley Marthers.
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Lincolnton police said they’re working with the shooter to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
According to authorities, since the firing range is outside city limits, they are not able to charge anyone. The sheriff’s office said they are also investigating the incident.
“At this point I don’t care about the legal, the not legal, the county, the city lines. None of that matters when kids were in danger,” Lane said.
No other details have been released at this point.
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