LUTZ, FL -- The Smoking Barrel set up target practice for customers back in April.
Mechanic Bob Douglass moved into his shop behind the firing range September 1.
Weeks after, Douglas Motors opened for business and something happened that made Bob question the safety of his work space.
"I ran down here and that’s when I saw where it came through the bay door," he said.
A bullet shot through Bob's back wall.
"I got to come to work wondering if another shot is going to come through the wall or not," said Bob.
Bob and his landlord Deborah Martin tell me they reported the incident to the Sheriff's Office but say deputies told them it was a civil matter.
"I was flabbergasted by that. I actually thought they could go in and say, 'Look you are not allowed to shoot because your bullets are traveling into someone else's occupied space'," said Bob.
Ten days later, another bullet pierced his building.
"Another shot came into the top of the wall. We heard it and ran out the door," Bob said.
I spoke with one of the owners of the Smoking Barrel by phone. Heather Perry said they are aware of two of the shots that escaped their building and have made improvements to secure the range.
"He thinks that piece of medal is going to stop it," said Bob. He says the reinforced wall failed to stop a third bullet that pierced his place.
Bob and his landlord say they have contacted half a dozen local state and federal agencies, but can not find any one who regulates shooting range safety.
"Who is it that is supposed to oversee in door firing ranges," I asked Kevin.
"The Department of Environmental Protection regulates them from lead, from the projectiles," he answered.
A day after I started making calls to Pasco County Code Enforcement, the Sheriff's Office wrote up a report on the stray bullets and turned it over to the State Attorney's Office for review.
