Reports of gunshots, home struck by gunfire, cause Burney residents frustration, concern

BURNEY — A recent incident involving numerous reports of shots fired in the Burney Terrace area, followed by reports of a resident’s home that was struck by at least one of the discharged rounds have caused concern and frustration, as well as anxiety and outright anger, among Burney and Intermountain area residents.

The Wednesday, Aug. 16, incident has left countless Intermountain area residents talking about the shooting, as well as how Shasta County Sheriff’s Department, the Department’s Burney Station, and SHASCOM’s emergency dispatch center handles, prioritizes, and dispatches calls for service throughout the Intermountain area.

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Many people reported hearing the fired rounds, with witnesses reporting three distinct volleys of shots, that sounded like two different caliber or style of weapons. Witnesses reported hearing a total of about 15 to 20 rounds fired.

An online sheriff’s call incident log indicated the incident was reported by more than a half-dozen Burney area residents at 3:36 p.m. The call was dispatched to a Burney Station patrol deputy just one minute later.

Although the log did not list the deputy’s time of arrival, the log indicated the call was closed with a report to be written at 4:32 p.m.

However, Burney resident Tischa Tobias Green, whose home was struck by one of the discharged rounds, later shared her experience regarding the incident as well as the sheriff department’s response to the shooting.

“Normally, I would be the first to commend all law enforcement, but something definitely fell through the crack Wednesday,” Green explained in a lengthy online post shared to Facebook’s “What’s REALLY Happening in Burney” and the news and information page’s more than 1,800 members. Her post was later shared to countless other social media pages related to Burney and Intermountain area crime-related issues.

According to Green, a bullet shattered her bedroom window, which is now covered by plywood, and became lodged in one of her bedroom walls.

“I had just walked through our bedroom into our master bathroom when I heard an explosion of glass coming from the master bedroom,” Green explained. Green said at first she thought the noise might have been caused by a rock thrown by a lawnmower being used by her gardener.

“I then heard loud shouting and a commotion on our back deck that butts up against our bedroom…and then more gun shots,” Green explained.

“When I stepped out of the bathroom to look, I saw the hole in the shade,” said Green. “I immediately realized that a bullet had come through the glass, not a rock.”

“Terrified, I stepped back into the bathroom for a couple of minutes and waited until I thought the people were gone” Green explained, saying she then made a dash for her phone in the living room so she could report the incident.

When she called 911 to report the shooting, she was told by emergency dispatchers that they had received “several reports of this situation.”

After several hours, multiple 911 calls, and several complaints about the lack of any response, at around 7 p.m., Green said she and her husband drove to the Burney Station to speak with an official about the incident.

“We were dismayed when we read the signage on the door indicating it would be closed until Monday,” Green wrote.

After what she described as a “long and sleepless night,” Green’s husband again began calling SHASCOM and demanding action the next morning.

“We only received misinformation and disinterest,” Green described. “I will leave it at that.”

Despite the delay, Green reported that Burney Station Deputy Brown eventually contacted her about the incident.

“(He) asked if he could come right over,” Green explained. “He very apologetically and kindly proceeded to take a report, walk the grounds, take pictures, pry the bullet out of the wall, give us his card with direct phone numbers, and do the job we expected yesterday.”

“I know it does no good to place blame, but the dispatcher needs to listen to what callers are saying, not make assumptions,” Green continued. “And, law enforcement management needs to not make excuses or assumptions and remember they are here to protect and serve.”

“We do want to sincerely thank Deputy Brown for his helpfulness and reassurance,” said Green. “He is an excellent representative of the Burney force.”

Video taken at the time of the shooting and shared to social media – in which countless, repeated shots could be heard – was later removed from the Internet by the original poster. Contacted by SCNS and asked about the previously shared video, the person – who requested to not be identified or named in this report – declined to re-share the video or be involved in any way with this article.

Another area resident, who also later removed her social media post and did not want to be named in this report, described seeing two young men, who were both armed with weapons. The post described how the woman had seen the pair climb over a flood wall before running through her yard and across her deck “while firing shots.” The woman wrote that the pair had been in front of one of her windows just seconds before.

Deputy Brown, who handled the initial call for service, later reportedly told concerned Burney resident Jessica Sharp he would like to speak with the resident who said she actually saw the two gun-wielding individuals.

“They need a description of these two,” Sharp later explained. “If you have any information regarding this event, please contact the sheriffs department.”

“We need to get these two off the streets,” Sharp continued. “Someone is going to end up hurt or killed.”

Sharp also later described aspects of her conversation with Brown, explaining that the deputy reported finding a discharged round lodged in an interior wall from inside Green’s home, which he described as a “small-caliber” round.

“They are eager to catch these guys and get them off the street. They are probably the same individuals that have been shooting so close to homes in the last couple weeks,” Sharp explained. “As a community, we need to call in every single time and say what we know.”

“Basically, if we don’t call it in, it doesn’t exist. Plain and simple,” said Sharp.

A community reacts.

After reading Green’s social media post, as well as countless others regarding the “troubling” incident and sheriff department’s response to the shooting, many area residents voiced their opinions and concerns in online comments and their own online posts.

Beth Hubbs Faucher was one of hundreds who commented the posts about the reported incident and sheriff’s response, writing, “When shots are being fired in a residential (area) it demands an immediate response.”

“This was ACTIVE SHOOTING IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA,” Faucher continued. “(There) could have been people dead and dying who could not call for help. This is what happens when a town has to depend on a sheriff’s dept that has no use for the small towns it is supposed to protect, and doesn’t. That’s despicable and should never happen. Shame on the Shasta County Sheriff and his dept.“

Area resident Royce Hetzel also responded, writing, “Officers should have responded immediately to the area. Should we wait for the death notice or try to get help right away?”

“They could have even found the person/persons firing shots in a residential area,” Hetzel continued. “Shots fired should be a priority.”

Dana Hiipakka Hauge also responded to the many posts, writing, “I’m confused… live shots, residential area, personal indoor property hit with humans in same house with a witness.”

“Sheriffs deputy’s, CHP officers, fish and game wardens, detectives, Redding officers…how can there not be some sort of response,” Hauge continued. “That was an emergency. I just don’t get it. Something is wrong here.”

“No matter what, the gun shots in town have got to stop!” Hauge exclaimed.

Contacted last Friday for more information regarding the incident and the department’s ongoing investigation, Burney Station Patrol Lieutenant Tyler Thompson explained Monday afternoon, “At this point, the incident you are referring to is under investigation and I cannot release any details other than what can be found from our public call logs.”

Anyone with information regarding this ongoing investigation or who knows the identity of the pair who had been firing the guns within city limits and so close to resident’s homes is encouraged to contact the Burney Sheriff’s Station at (530) 245-6070, or SHASCOM’s non-emergency dispatch line at (530) 225-4200. Callers can refer to incident file number 18-28988 and callers can remain anonymous.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information is available.

Do you have an opinion and want to make sure your voice is heard? Follow this link to participate in a short, 3-5 minute long, survey about Intermountain area crime.

In the anonymous, 10 question survey, you can rate and share your first hand opinions about the quality of service provided by Shasta County Sheriff’s Department, the Burney Patrol Station, and SCSO Sheriff Tom Bosenko.

Good, bad, or neutral, the full results of the survey will be shared with the community, as well as Sheriff Bosenko and his command staff.

(Note – This survey has reached its maximum 1,000 individual responses. I will be recreating the survey and have it published and ready with a new link later this evening. Please check back.)

UPDATE: New link to Intermountain area Crime and Law Enforcement survey

-TM

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, recently moved to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.