The Apache Junction Police Department is investigating a string of incidents involving criminal damage and aggravated assault due to miscellaneous gunfire reported at Countryside RV Resort, 2701 S. Idaho Road, since December.
The department has received seven separate reports of bullets hitting trailers in the area. One bullet nearly struck a resident as he sat inside his residence watching television.
As the investigation continues, it is an opportunity to remind the public about “Shannon's Law,” which makes it illegal to discharge a firearm anywhere within the city limits of any city or town in the state of Arizona.
Shannon's Law was enacted in response to a tragic incident in 1999 when a 14-year-old girl named Shannon Smith lost her life. She was talking on the phone in her backyard in central Phoenix when a bullet randomly fired into the air from over a mile away struck her in the head, causing her death. In collaboration with law enforcement officials, politicians, prosecutors and citizens, Shannon's parents helped get passed Arizona Revised Statute 13-3107, also known as "Shannon's Law," which makes it a felony for anyone who "with criminal negligence discharges a firearm within or into the limits of any municipality" in Arizona.
If you have any information regarding the ongoing investigation at Countryside RV Resort, please submit an anonymous tip online or call the hotline number listed below:
Submit a tip: www.apachejunctionaz.gov/tip
Non-emergency line: (480) 982-8260
Hotline: (480) 474-8585
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