A Florida man is behind bars after he reportedly got drunk and tried shooting a tree – but instead fired several bullets into his neighbor's home.
The incident occurred Sunday in DeLand, about 40 miles north of Orlando, where 38-year-old Alex Kudlack fired multiple shots that struck a neighboring mobile home and a fence surrounding it, according to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.
The family inside the home – three adults, a 7-year-old and an infant – had to take cover and call 911, sheriff's officials said. Deputies got on scene, evacuated the family from the house, and started searching the area. That's when they found Kudlack, "an intoxicated neighbor on nearby Virginia Avenue who was shooting at a tree in his backyard."
While no one was hurt in the barrage of gunfire, the scene inside the home was chaotic.
"Three shots went off, and then within seconds, another ten went off. The window above my head was shattered," Salvador Sotello told WESH-TV. "I was holding [my newborn son], basically like a football, when I came out the room."
"I called 911, and as I'm on the phone, I hear more shots. By the time they got here, the officer heard another three shots," another resident, Heather Barlip, added.
When asked why he decided to shoot the tree, Kudlack told deputies, "I'm a dumba**," bodycam footage reveals.
Kudlack, who's being held on a $17,000 bond, is facing charges of shooting into a dwelling, using a firearm while under the influence, child endangerment and criminal mischief.