‘Disturbed’ Man Fires Volleys at ‘Imaginary'(?) Trespassers

Tuesday night around 11:30pm, Walla Walla County Deputies and the SWAT team were dispatched to a home in Prescott after a man called and said people were in his bushes outside, and lights shining in the windows.

The man said he had barricaded his children and himself in the bathroom, telling 911 he thought the people outside were burglars and they were trying to break in. The man began to fire a gun, and he told the dispatcher he thought he'd shot someone hiding in the shrubs.

Due to the open phone line, officials heard repeated gunshots during the incident, so the SWAT team was also called. However, upon arrival, officers searched the home, grounds and surrounding area and neighborhood and found no evidence anyone had been there. They even examined the bushes and shrubs and found no broken limbs or evidence of prints or shoetracks. The man had apparently fired a number of rounds into the shrubs and at other areas outside the home.

Sadly, the Deputies ended up taking the man to a local hospital for what the Sheriff''s office called "mental health issues."  The Sheriff's Office says court proceedings may result from the incident, as well as possible intervention issues for the safety of the children.

The investigation continues.