Homes hit by stray rifle rounds

FINDLAY — Stray rifle rounds from shooting in the vicinity of a Hancock County church allegedly struck two homes and damaged a vehicle more than a mile away from the location Saturday afternoon. The Hancock County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the incident occurred on June 21, and provided The Courier with two dispatch call logs created at 4:14 p.m. and 4:49 p.m. Saturday. According to the logs, deputies responded to two separate scenes after 911 calls reported shots fired and bullets striking properties along Township Road 89. "There were no injuries," wrote Chief Deputy Richard Thomas Walker from the Hancock County Sheriff's Office in a statement to The Courier. "This matter is still under investigation and review for charges, therefore, I cannot release any further information at this time." In the call logs, one person reported a projectile coming through the front of a home, inserting into an interior wall and striking the floor. The round was discovered inside the residence by a responding officer. At another location, the logs state that the Warner family described hearing what sounded like bullets flying through the air, hearing them "zing" and ricochet off nearby surfaces. "We heard two ricochet sounds, it sounded like metal to metal, then a sizzling sound in the air," Dustin Warner said in an interview this week. "My mom dropped down and hollered. I didn't even know what happened at first — I thought maybe it was a drone." Searching the property, the Warner family said they found a bullet lodged into their roof, directly above where they had been standing outside. "If we would have been just a little bit farther towards the garage or back a little bit, we maybe could've gotten hit with that bullet," said Dan Warner, Dustin's father. An unidentified neighbor also reported three rifle rounds had struck his home, with one bullet embedded into the tire of a vehicle outside. Dustin Warner said he found a .308-caliber rifle bullet in the tire. Bullets found at the scenes included a .30 caliber round and a Barrett .50 caliber round, according to the Sheriff's Office's call logs. The logs state deputies responded to Living Stones Fellowship Church during the investigation, 7751 U.S. 224, Findlay, where people had practice targets set up behind the building and were shooting. "They were shooting up towards it and they were missing the top of the target," Dan Warner alleges. "The bullets were going up and over the tree line by the river and then dropping down, that's where they were hitting the neighbor's house and then the last one hit my house." The sheriff's logs state firearms were collected at the scene and reports were taken at both addresses where bullets are alleged to have made contact. The Warners said they are working with their insurance providers to assess property damages and are awaiting updates from the Hancock County Prosecutor's Office on potential charges. "It shook me and my wife up pretty bad because you don't ever think you're going to get shot in your own backyard," Dan Warner said.