A quiet night was shattered last Friday when as many as 20 shots rang out in the Pointe South and Summerwind areas.
Apparently no one was injured when the shooting broke out about 9 p.m.
According to Hinesville Det. Star Cpl. Tracey Howard the initial call was an anonymous complaint about approximately 20 shots being fired in the area of Brett Drive, Eunice Drive and Folker Road.
"At first we thought it could be fireworks or something of that nature," he said. "But within minutes Lt. Thomas Ovett indicated he heard what he thought was a shotgun blast. He saw a vehicle coming out of an area that is not commonly used as a means of traffic and initiated a stop. As a result of the stop he was able to make an arrest for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. However, it did not appear based on the evidence we collected later on at the scene, that this weapon was involved in the incident Friday night."
The detective said darkness hindered evidence search. Officers did increase patrols in the area and began to search for evidence of collateral damage or casualties. Howard said, initially they did not find any.
"However the following day we recovered several shell casings and projectiles from several vehicles and on the ground," Howard said. "We found at least eight shell casings on the ground at Folker Road. There were shell casings recovered from the area on Brett Drive as well as several projectiles."
Howard said there was more than one vehicle damaged as a result of the gunfire and evidence is still trickling in as people take notice of their surroundings.
"We received a call today about a round that went into someone's house and we are investigating that and still gathering evidence," he said.
The detective hinted that authorities have an idea of what and why this happened, but did not want to elaborate and damage an ongoing investigation.
"The target is an individual or a group of individuals," he said. "Based on our investigation so far, there is a possibility that it is gang related but that has not been confirmed. We have information that may indicate this was all more due to a personal nature but these shootings seem to be somewhat random in the sense that there is no one particular target area, it's been spread out. We also recovered multiple caliber shell casings."
Howard said part of the process of the investigation is to make a determination if the similar shell casings from multiple incidents are comparable. That requires forensic testing at the GBI lab in Savannah and they are in the process of packing the evidence for and take them to the GBI lab now.
"No one has been apprehended but we do have a person of interest we are not prepared to disclose just yet," he said. "In the efforts of trying to find the person of interest and interview them you want to have as much information as you can. And that information is still coming in. We are currently looking for any witness who is willing to come forward with information to call us. Our concern was and still is that someone could have been injured in the process of all the shots being fired."
If you have any information regarding the incident you are encouraged to call the Hinesville Detective Division at 368-8215 or 911.
Apparently no one was injured when the shooting broke out about 9 p.m.
According to Hinesville Det. Star Cpl. Tracey Howard the initial call was an anonymous complaint about approximately 20 shots being fired in the area of Brett Drive, Eunice Drive and Folker Road.
"At first we thought it could be fireworks or something of that nature," he said. "But within minutes Lt. Thomas Ovett indicated he heard what he thought was a shotgun blast. He saw a vehicle coming out of an area that is not commonly used as a means of traffic and initiated a stop. As a result of the stop he was able to make an arrest for misdemeanor possession of marijuana, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. However, it did not appear based on the evidence we collected later on at the scene, that this weapon was involved in the incident Friday night."
The detective said darkness hindered evidence search. Officers did increase patrols in the area and began to search for evidence of collateral damage or casualties. Howard said, initially they did not find any.
"However the following day we recovered several shell casings and projectiles from several vehicles and on the ground," Howard said. "We found at least eight shell casings on the ground at Folker Road. There were shell casings recovered from the area on Brett Drive as well as several projectiles."
Howard said there was more than one vehicle damaged as a result of the gunfire and evidence is still trickling in as people take notice of their surroundings.
"We received a call today about a round that went into someone's house and we are investigating that and still gathering evidence," he said.
The detective hinted that authorities have an idea of what and why this happened, but did not want to elaborate and damage an ongoing investigation.
"The target is an individual or a group of individuals," he said. "Based on our investigation so far, there is a possibility that it is gang related but that has not been confirmed. We have information that may indicate this was all more due to a personal nature but these shootings seem to be somewhat random in the sense that there is no one particular target area, it's been spread out. We also recovered multiple caliber shell casings."
Howard said part of the process of the investigation is to make a determination if the similar shell casings from multiple incidents are comparable. That requires forensic testing at the GBI lab in Savannah and they are in the process of packing the evidence for and take them to the GBI lab now.
"No one has been apprehended but we do have a person of interest we are not prepared to disclose just yet," he said. "In the efforts of trying to find the person of interest and interview them you want to have as much information as you can. And that information is still coming in. We are currently looking for any witness who is willing to come forward with information to call us. Our concern was and still is that someone could have been injured in the process of all the shots being fired."
If you have any information regarding the incident you are encouraged to call the Hinesville Detective Division at 368-8215 or 911.