Shots fired S. of Redmond; 1 hits house, kills sleeping cat

Three gunshots were fired late Sunday night near Highway 97 south of Redmond, one of which struck a home and fatally injured a cat inside. The cat was sleeping just a few feet away from the 80-year old resident, who was not injured.

The shots, possibly fired by a poacher going after a buck, woke up several neighbors, they said Tuesday.

“I was in bed and I woke up and heard like a pop,” said Shauna Ferren, who lives across the street from where the bullet hit a home. “I got up and looked out the window and didn’t see anything and then I checked on my kids.”

Residents in the 8300 block of South Highway 97, near milepost 127, contacted dispatchers around 1 p.m. Monday to report finding a bullet hole in the side of their home, said Deschutes County sheriff’s Lt. Mike Biondi. The elderly woman was not hit, but her cat, sleeping on the bed just a few feet next to her, was shot and killed.

“Thank the Lord that it wasn’t her that got shot,” Ferren said.

The caller told deputies three shots were heard around midnight that sounded as if they had been fired along Highway 97, west of their home, Biondi said. They noticed the damage to the house the next day and contacted police.

“It’s scary to think something like this could happen in our neighborhood,” Ferren said.

Based on the investigation and information at the scene, deputies learned at least one large buck had been seen frequenting the area near the home.

“It is believed the gunshots may have come from someone who attempted to shoot the buck illegally,” Biondi said in a news release.

“It is not believed there is any immediate safety concern to the public as a result of this incident,” the lieutenant added.

But for residents like Ferren, the incident hit far too close to home.

“The first thing I think about with something like this, with me, it could have been one of my kids sitting next to me on the couch — and that’s devastating,” Ferren said.

Anyone with information that could help investigators was asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office through dispatch at 541-693-6911.

You can also contact the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-877-876-TIPS, or use the form on KTVZ.COM’s Crime Stoppers page. You can remain anonymous, and you could be eligible for a cash reward.