Gunshots fired at home hit woman

DeKalb County, Alabama, authorities issued a statement Thursday on a shooting last weekend that left a woman with a bullet wound to her face and a Valley Head man behind bars.

The woman was struck in the face when shots were fired into her residence early on Aug. 23 on County Road 1002 in the Hammondville community, according to DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tyler Pruett. Police responded to a call to the area about a fight, and as they were on the way, they got additional word that shots had been fired, Pruett said.

Authorities charged Damien Keith Blevins, 31, of Valley Head, with three counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling and one count of assault, second degree, according to Pruett’s statement.

“When deputies arrived on the scene, they discovered that a 58-year-old female had been shot in the face,” Pruett said.

The woman was immediately taken for treatment.

Witnesses told investigators two men in a truck were speeding up and down their road, Pruett said.

“A resident said something to the men, which began an argument,” Pruett said. “After the argument was over, the men left. Shortly thereafter, one of the men got out of the truck and fired several rounds toward the residence.”

One of the three rounds fired into the home struck the woman in the face, he said. She has not been named and her

current condition is unknown.

Investigators and deputies flooded the area armed with a “vague description” of the vehicle, which they eventually found at a residence on a nearby county road, Pruett said. There they made contact with Blevins.

“While speaking with Blevins, investigators obtained probable cause to make an arrest,” Pruett said. Police also recovered a firearm believed to have been used in the shooting.

“Investigators believe alcohol was a factor in this crime,” he said.

The statement and jail records do not show any current alcohol-related charges against Blevins, but DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said the incident could have been prevented if a decision had been made not to drink and drive.

“Had the subject chosen to stay home, this could have all been avoided. Instead, a victim was seriously injured, and it could have been even worse,” Welden said.

Jail records show Blevins remains held on a $150,000 bond. No court date was listed.