Redmond PD: Man fired gun, bullet bounced off neighbor’s head

A 24-year-old Redmond man has been arrested on assault and other charges, accused of firing a gunshot at his home, sending the bullet through a wall and fence and into a neighbor’s home, where it bounced off the head of a woman watching TV, officers said.

Deschutes County 911 dispatchers received a call around 9:45 p.m. Monday from a resident in the 2400 block of Southwest Wickiup Court who reported a bullet had entered the home and “bounced” off the head of a resident who was sitting watching television, Lt. Curtis Chambers said Wednesday.

Responding officers confirmed there were no injuries and found the bullet on the floor, where it came to rest, Chambers said.

An initial investigation confirmed the bullet entered the house from outside, going through a fence, exterior wall and picture frame before striking the resident’s head, he said.

“There were two people inside the victim’s residence,” Chambers said. “The bullet bounced off the head of one of them.”

Other officers searching the area found an apparent bullet hole on the exterior of another house along Wickiup Avenue, directly south of where the bullet came to rest, Chambers said.

Officers contacted and detained a resident, Ryan Pine, and found a 9mm gun in a bedroom, along with a spent 9mm casing, the officer said.

Pine was arrested and taken to the county jail in Bend, facing charges of third-degree assault, five counts of recklessly endangering another person, two counts of second-degree child neglect, second-degree criminal mischief and an outstanding in-state arrest warrant. Online jail records indicate a probation violation and bail of $45,000 pending a Feb. 28 court appearance.

Chambers said police won’t release the exact circumstances about how or why the gun was fired, but added that police believe “the discharge of the firearm was not intended to harm any other person.” He added that drug and alcohol impairment appear to be contributing factors.

“The walls and fences of our homes provide a false sense of protection when comes to high-velocity projectiles, such as a bullet from a firearm,” Chambers wrote in a news release. “The Redmond Police Department would like to remind all people it is a crime to discharge any firearm within a city limit. Cities have a high population density. Therefore there is an increased risk of unintentional injuries or property damage when a firearm is discharged within a city.

“We would also like to remind everyone of the four cardinal rules of firearm safety:

1. Always treat all firearms as if they were loaded.

2. Never allow the muzzle of any firearm to point at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Never put your finger near the trigger until you are ready to fire.

4. Always be sure of your target, and what is behind and in front of it.”