09/02/10
Located in District 1 very near the northern city limits, the privately-owned Garland Public Gun Range on Pleasant Valley Rd has been there since before being annexed into the city many years ago. All the development in the area came afterwards.
In June a Rowlett man was mysteriously shot in his yard. Some suspect the bullet may have come from the gun range.
Last night, WFAA-TV ran a story on the possible connection:
From WFAA-TV online:
Shooting victim seeks safety upgrade at Garland gun range
by MONIKA DIAZ
WFAAPosted on September 2, 2010 at 12:17 AM
ROWLETT — The Garland Public Shooting Range on Pleasant Valley Road opened its doors 41 years ago.
It is now Michael Domin's target.
"Make this range safe so it doesn't hurt anybody else," said Domin, who lives a mile away from the range in neighboring Rowlett.
In June, he was the one who got hurt in his backyard. He was sitting on a tractor when a stray bullet hit him. Domin spent ten days in the hospital, and has a scar running down his stomach. The bullet is still lodged in his chest.
"We are afraid to go into the backyard, cut the grass, basically do anything," Domin said. "Our kids haven't been out there since it happened."
Domin and his attorney, Aaron Herbert, say the gun range is putting lives in danger. "This is a safety issue, and I don't know what it's going to take," Herbert said. "We don't want to see someone actually killed by one of these rounds."
Herbert told News 8 he has evidence that bullets are going off the range — from damaged power lines to a man who was nicked by a bullet while riding his bike. Domin's lawyer sent a letter to the owner of the gun range, James Day, asking him to cease operations and to step up supervision and security.
"Put in overhead baffling and raise the birm; make the range safe," Herbert said.
The Rowlett Police department told News 8 Wednesday that investigators couldn't determine where the bullet that struck Domin came from. But Domin and his attorney believe there is no other source but the range. "I think it's their responsibility," Herbert said.
News 8 attempted to contact the owner of the gun range, but there was no response as of late Wednesday. Domin and his attorney said if James Day does not immediately close the range on Thursday and start making changes, they will go to court to ask for an injunction.
E-mail mdiaz@wfaa.com
Photo source: WFAA-TX online ![]()
Range is the northern pin and the victim's house the other pin.
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WFAA Stories Related to the Shooting:
A couple years ago, the Council's Public Safety Committee reviewed several complaints against the range. From the city's perspective, no safety issues were identified.
Ray Leszcynski, Dallas Morning News Reporter, posted information on the DMN Garland Blog that the widening of Pleasant Valley Rd could also impact the range. Ray is looking for public input.
[Contact Numbers—City Departments] [Citizen's Request Center]
Local news: [DMN Garland Blog] [DMN Garland Community] [Around Garland] [The Garland Texan]
Gun Range Under Fire -
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