Re: Neighbor shooting toward my property
I had a similar situation with a neighbor. In my case, I think we “reached an understanding” and I have had no further incidents. My suggestion is, as others have said, document the situation completely and clearly and create a file. Keep copies of drawings, copies of the laws that might influence your case, and document every 911 call that you make and every response by law enforcement. Don’t be afraid to call 911 when there are “shots fired” by your neighbor that make you fear for the safety of you, your family, or your property.
When your neighbor’s freedom to do what he wants on his property starts to impact your "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness", then there is a serious problem. Give the officers who respond to your future 911 calls every chance to use their own good judgment to fix the situation. If they will not or cannot resolve the issue, then politely remind them you will escalate things to their boss the Sheriff and his boss the elected officials that he reports to. Situations like this are not any fun to deal with, but you can win in the end by keeping your cool and building a growing file of evidence that clearly demonstrates to any reasonable person (a jury of your peers if it comes to that) that you have acted in a reasonable and rational manner. The officer’s who respond, or the Sherriff, or your elected officials should realize at some point that it will be in everyone’s best interest to resolve this by getting your neighbor to cease and desist. If that does not work, you should have a well documented case if things end up in court.
Best of luck and hang tough!
