Intimidation report filed after shooting Sunday
The woman who rented the Lakeland clubhouse where a shooting occurred Sunday night during a Sweet 16 birthday party has filed an intimidation report with the Shelby County Sheriff ’s Office over social media reaction by her neighbors.
The 45-year-old woman cited several social media posts in supporting the concern, including one that said: “Put them out there (in the public) so everyone knows. Maybe if they have enough pressure on them from the neighborhood, they will move,” according to the report narrative.
In the report, the woman also disputed some of the claims by Lakeland Mayor Wyatt Bunker in his Facebook posts contending the people involved were non-Lakeland residents and the people who fired shots into the party were gang members.
Authorities have no suspects in custody in the case and are unable to confirm any links to gangs.
The woman lives in the Oakwood subdivision of Lakeland, and the clubhouse is owned by the Oakwood Subdivison Homeowners Association. The neighborhood is east of Seed Tick Road a short distance south of Lakeland Elementary School.
Three teens were wounded during the party at the neighborhood clubhouse at 10133 Matwood Cove. A group of teens showed up about 10:30 p.m. Sunday and were turned away at the door. A short time after they left, gunshots were heard in the area, and when authorities arrived, they found the three victims.
Bunker noted earlier this week that
there was a broken window, along with bullet holes in the ceiling outside, a gutter and a metal railing at the community center.
The original SCSO report of the incident notes that 15 spent shell casings were found on one side of the clubhouse and 12 on the other side.
In her intimidation report, the resident said her social media information was posted on several sites and “several people have made comments that places her in fear of retaliation by neighbors,” according to the offense report.
She showed authorities copies of posts where people said the homeowner who rented the clubhouse owed the neighborhood answers for what happened during the party.
She expressed concern that as more people learn her identity as the person who “legally rented the clubhouse,” according to the report, the information will lead to “more harassment, possible threats, fear and untrue association with ‘gang members’ to she and her family,” the report narrative states.
The initial report on the shooting noted that the honored teenager’s grandfather and another relative were at the door of the clubhouse when the four young men tried to enter. The grandfather told deputies the quartet “looked to (o) ghetto” and they were turned away from the party. After words were exchanged the four left.
A few minutes later shots were fired in the area.
One of the victims was shot in the back near his spine, another was wounded in the lower left leg and the third suffered a gunshot to his buttocks.
“The commissioners and I have been concerned about the children and victims after the incident this past weekend,” Bunker said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“We have reached out and are happy to report that they are all in good spirits, THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2018 expected to have full recoveries and the last of them are expected to go home this week.”
In the comments on that post, a man with the same name as the grandfather defended the actions of those who held the party. He said there were no “bouncers” at the party, as some have indicated, but rather him and another relatives acting as “chaperones” for the event.
“(T)here were no problems inside nor outside,” the man responded at one point. “No one arguing, no one upset. A lot of people were leaving and other cars pulling in. Started turning people away at 10:15, I’m watching the entire time. Then all of a sudden shots rang out 15 feet in front of me.”