A Salt Springs man was arrested last week after he allegedly struck a neighbor with his cane and then fired a handgun into his house, narrowly missing another man.
Johnny Macon Dale, 64, of NE 306th Court, was charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, and simple battery after the incident, which happened Dec. 18.
Several neighbors told the responding Marion County sheriff’s deputy they heard a gunshot in the area. The victim who called 911 told the deputy that Dale shot at his residence and that his roommate, who was in his bedroom, was hit with fragments of drywall when the projectile came through the home, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The roommate/second victim, who was inside the house, said he heard arguing between the first victim and Dale. He said he heard Dale hit the victim, and that’s when he got up and went to the front door. The second victim said he was near the doorway when he saw what he believed to be a muzzle flash from a firearm and heard a loud bang. He said he felt powder burn and the drywall fragments against his face as the projectile went through the home, just missing the doorway, the report said.
The deputy observed the hole in the wall left by the projectile, as well as redness on the side of the second victim’s face where he said he felt the burn of gunpowder and pieces of the wall strike his face, according to the report.
The first victim said he was in his home, laying down and reading a book, when he heard Dale outside his home. The victim said he went outside and saw Dale in the front yard, and that’s when Dale struck him in the neck with a dark-colored cane. He said he told Dale to hold on, and that he was going to get his cane and they would settle whatever the problem was, the report said.
The first victim said Dale then grabbed a handgun from his pocket and said he was going to kill the victims. He said Dale shot the wall to the right of the doorway, just missing the second victim. The first victim said he thought Dale was going to shoot him. He said Dale then left the location, according to the report.
The first victim said he believed the gun was a revolver because he didn’t see a shell casing in the yard. The deputy observed a slight mark on his neck that was consistent with his statement about being struck with a cane, the report said.
Several deputies responded to Dale’s house, where they observed multiple pellet guns gut were unable to locate the handgun and cane that were alleged to be used in the incident. Deputies knew from previous encounters with Dale that he had multiple firearms in his home, according to the report.
Asked whether he had been at the victims’ home that night, Dale said he walked up to the home and saw that the first victim had already been beat up and he asked him if he was OK. The deputy asked Dale why he was there and he changed his story to say he was walking his dog around the block to get the mail and he didn’t have any interactions with the victims, the report said.
When asked if he carries a firearm with him on his walks, Dale said he doesn’t. When asked if he got into an argument with the first victim and struck him with a cane and shot at him, Dale said he did not and that the victims were lying. The first victim said Dale did not have his dog with him when he came to the property, according to the report.
Dale was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he was released the next day on $9,500 bond. He’s scheduled to appear in Marion County Court on Jan. 21.