Bullet hits Collier County home, shatters hurricane doors

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—A bullet flew across a property line, through a lanai and shattered two hurricane-rated doors in the Azure community at Hacienda Lakes in Collier County.

The first door crumbled Monday morning, after sustaining damage Saturday. No one was hurt, but neighbors are asking what can be done before someone is.

Residents say the gated community is usually quiet until the gunfire starts. Harty and others say someone on a neighboring property fires guns a few times a month, for hours at a time. 

Neighbor Alina Reininger says the sound now has neighbors on high alert.

"It was boom boom boom, and I got in my car because I wasn't sure what was going to happen," Reininger said.

One of those rounds crossed the property line this weekend. It cleared a concrete wall, went through a lanai screen and struck Dan Harty's home, a resident of the Azure community.

"We're very fortunate…if it did go through my daughter's room is right where the line was," Harty said.

Harty was home with his two-year-old daughter at the time. After Collier County Sheriff's deputies left, Harty said he could still hear rounds being fired.

HOA President Bill Kutner said the sound isn't uncommon and neither is the property damage. He shared that another neighbor's property was struck last year.

"Most homeowners weren't even understanding that this is a possibility, certainly of guns being fired in your backyard on a fairly consistent basis. So it's tremendously concerning and we expect to do whatever we need to do to put a stop to this," Kutner said.

Neighbors want police to do more and say they fear action won’t be taken until someone is hurt or killed. Harty expressed his frustration with the response.

"[The deputy] told us there was nothing we can do because there's no intent behind the shot…These people depend on you; if you can't trust the cops, who can help you then?" Harty asked.

While Florida law allows shooting on private property, it is illegal for bullets to cross property lines. Neighbors said they're waiting for a solution or for someone to be hurt.

Harty said he hasn't received any information on who caused the damage. He was instructed to wait for a civil court case to appear in three to five days.