MEDINA, Ohio (WJW) – The Medina Police Department is releasing new details after a man was hit with a bullet while playing golf at the Medina Country Club.
The FOX 8 I-Team on Wednesday broke the story of the incident, which occurred on Sept. 21 at 11:25 a.m.
‘My bad’: Ohio teen admits fault in deadly tanker crash
Panic ensued after a man felt something strike his leg while putting on the ninth green.
“Somebody drove by [state Route] 162 or shot a gun or something, because we heard a ‘pop’ and then we thought it was a golf ball and it wasn’t,” a witness told a responding sergeant.
Medina Police Chief Ed Kinney said the shooting was actually not a drive-by, rather it’s suspected to be a stray bullet fired by someone who lives nearby, perhaps with a gun range on their property.
“Unfortunately, in a rural area like that, it’s legal to shoot your firearms out in your backyards at homemade ranges,” Kinney said. “But it is essential, and it is the law, that you fire those rounds into a proper backstop. When you don’t, situations like this occur.”
Kinney explained it is still an open investigation, where detectives are looking for the person responsible.
“The detectives canvassed the area and continued to go out further and further in a radius from the golf course, to try and determine where that round was fired from,” Kinney said.
Investigators believe the shot could have been fired from more than a mile away, due to it not penetrating the victim. The bullet was found intact on the green, a hollow-point handgun round.
The general manager of the Medina Country Club views it as a single incident and said the club is working with investigators.
“Thankfully, the injury to our member was not serious and required minimal medical attention,” Kirby Manown III said via email.
Fish put in local river could grow up to 8-feet
One resident and member at the club did not speak on camera, but said he frequently hears gunshots around holes on the back nine, but was surprised by the incident. Another former resident who did not want to be identified said she moved from the area because stray bullets penetrated a residence in 2021, and there was the constant sound of gunfire. She said she sold her home in 2022.
Kinney explained that the course is in Lafayette Township, where it is legal to fire a weapon on your property, but only if backstops are used. Kinney is grateful this wasn’t a more serious injury for the golfer or anyone else.
“Practice firearm safety,” he said. “If you’re going to be firing a firearm in your backyard, at your home or at home range, it’s your responsibility for where those bullets are going. And again, it is essential that you fire into a proper backstop. If not, you open yourself up to many legal consequences.”
Anyone with information or leads for investigators is encouraged to contact the Medina Police Department at 330-725-7777.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW.
Source Agencies
