Families in Nassau County fear they will be shot in their own backyards

Update: Neighbors tell Action News Jax they have located the person accused of shooting and hitting homes and trees in the Nassau neighborhood.

They said a landowner across from the marsh in the area allowed their 20-year-old grandson shoot a gun during target practice and have been since told to stop.

Families in Nassau County say they are being terrorized by gunfire in their backyards.

“All of a sudden we heard the bullets whistling through the trees,” said Amelia Shafer, a neighbor.

Neighbors in the Waterman’s Bluff said they are scared to be in their own backyards. They hear shots being fired at least twice a week.

“We are just afraid to be out here,” said Shafer.

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“You can hear it buzzing through the trees, and you don’t know how close it is,” said Ann Lewis.

“Hearing them as close as they were, we had to go into the porch to stay out of the line of fire, in fear of being hit,” said Shafer.

One bullet even hit Norman Echols’ home.

“So this needs to stop,” he said.

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He’s worried one of his grandkids, neighbors or pets is going to get shot.

“We don’t know what the next step is tragically,” said Echols.

Deputies said they’ve been called to the neighborhood five times. Right now they are working to find out who is responsible. But, there are a lot of open field behind the homes, and it’s difficult trying to find who’s firing the shots.

“We have several children in the neighborhood that play in these woods, so we are scared for them,” Shafer said.

While deputies want answers. Neighbors want peace of mind.

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