Bullet Enters Home
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Saturday, May, 2, 2020, Atoka County Sheriff’s Deputy Kevin Nave arrived at a residence on East Tellico Road due to a report someone had shot at the home.
Jason Eastep advised Deputy Nave that while playing in the living room with his young son he was struck in the left side by a bullet.
Eastep showed the Deputy the broken window and the small red mark on his side where he was hit. Deputy Nave was able to locate the bullet inside the home.
The bullet had traveled from a pond to the west of Eastep’s property where his neighbors had been shooting that evening.
Deputy Nave spoke with neighbor Wendell Smith about the incident. Initially, Smith informed the Deputy he had been the one shooting, but once advised Eastep had been hit by a bullet, Smith changed his story.
“I told those boys to be careful when shooting,” Smith told the Deputy as he explained that his son. Jessy Smith, 30, and his friend, Zack Taylor, 41, both of Stringtown, had been shooting near the pond.
Smith and Taylor were located in Stringtown. They had been shooting a revolver belonging to Taylor using wadcutter ammunition.
A wadcutter is a special-purpose flat-fronted bullet specifically designed for shooting paper targets.
Smith and Taylor are charged with reckless conduct with a firearm (misdemeanor).
