Florida Man in Trouble for Shooting Walmart Drone With 9mm Handgun
Buzz Off
Lest we forget that losing our minds about suspicious aircraft was an American tradition long before this current spate of drone hysteria, a Florida man has been ordered to pay $5,000 to Walmart after shooting one of the retail giant’s drones that he thought was spying on him, First Coast News reports. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the saga played out back in June, when police responded to a call made at a Walmart. There, two employees said that someone had shot one of their drones while they were flying it over a nearby neighborhood as part of a “mock delivery.” After the shooting, they fled back to the store, drone casualty in tow.
The marksman turned out to be 72-year-old Dennis Winn. When police showed up at his house, according to an affidavit for his arrest, Winn explained himself. He said he was outside fixing a pool pump when he heard the drone overhead.
Apparently, he “had past experiences with drones flying over his house and believed they were surveilling him,” he told police, per First Cost.
So Winn retrieved his 9mm pistol from his gun safe and opened fire on the aerial intruder — as one does in an area where, according to the cops, kids were outside playing.
Pot Shot
Winn was charged with one count of shooting or throwing deadly missiles into dwellings, vessels, or vehicles, one count of criminal mischief causing $1,000 or more in damage and one count of discharging a firearm in public or on residential property.
The cop who broke the news that what he shot wasn’t some surveillance apparatus but a Walmart delivery drone said that Winn looked to be “in disbelief.”
“Really?” was Winn’s reported reply. Seemingly, it was hard to stomach the fact that nefarious characters weren’t keenly interested in his pool repairs.
Winn was also informed that the drone probably cost “tens of thousands of dollars.” He had never reported the presence of drones over his property to police, but he did inform his Homeowner’s Association, he told an officer.
On November 27, Winn agreed to submit a restitution order — an “admission of wrongdoing,” his attorney contends, but not a guilty plea. A court ordered him to pay the $5,000 in damages to the drone company, which he’s now paid off, according to First Coast.
Winn won’t have to serve jail time if he isn’t charged with any crimes in the next six months. That puts him in a bind, though. How’s he supposed to defend himself if the “Mothership” comes after him now?
Florida man arrested after shooting, destroying Walmart delivery drone, deputies say
Updated June 27, 2024 9:49pm EDT
Florida man shot Walmart delivery drone: Deputies
A Florida man is behind bars after he allegedly shot a Walmart delivery drone, rendering it inoperable in Lake County, deputies said. Deputies were called to Walmart at 1450 Johns Lake Road in Clermont on Wednesday after drone delivery representatives reported the incident.
CLERMONT, Fla. – A Florida man is behind bars after he allegedly shot a Walmart delivery drone, rendering it inoperable in Lake County, deputies said.
Deputies were called to Walmart at 1450 Johns Lake Road in Clermont on Wednesday after drone delivery representatives reported the incident.
A representative said a two-man crew was campaigning in a nearby community, which included mock deliveries to the crew to attract business and interest, an affidavit stated.
Man accused of shooting Walmart delivery drone
A Clermont man is accused of shooting a Walmart delivery drone, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
While awaiting a drone delivery’s descent, the crew stood in front of a home located in a cul-de-sac. When the drone began to descend, one of the reps said he heard a loud sound consistent with a gun, deputies said.
The rep told deputies he saw a 60-year-old white man wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt at the side of the home holding a gun towards the sky and the drone.
Photo shows mugshot of Dennis Winn | Credit: Lake County Sheriffs Office
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The crew returned to Walmart and had the drone fly back to the store. Deputies said that after inspecting the drone, the company reps discovered $2,500 worth of damage to its payload system.
Deputies returned to the home where the alleged shooting happened, where they met with 72-year-old Dennis Winn.
When asked if he had an incident with a drone, Winn allegedly said he did. He told deputies he saw the drone fly over his home, prompting him to retrieve his gun to fire at it, an affidavit stated.
Winn said he had experiences with drones flying over his home and believed it was watching him.
Winn was arrested and charged with shooting at an aircraft, criminal mischief with damage over $1,000, and discharging a firearm on public or residential property.
Florida man arrested for shooting down Walmart delivery drone with 9mm pistol, sheriff says
Published: Jun. 29, 2024 at 1:02 AM GMT+7
LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) – A Florida man was arrested after he shot down a Walmart delivery drone in his neighborhood, according to officials.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said they received a call about a Walmart delivery drone being shot on Wednesday.
Responding deputies confirmed there was a bullet hole in the load that the drone was carrying.
Witnesses identified the shooter as Dennis Winn, 72. When speaking with deputies, Winn admitted to shooting at the drone once with a 9mm pistol, the sheriff’s office said.
Winn was arrested and charged with shooting at an aircraft, criminal mischief damage over $1,000, and discharging a firearm in public or residential property.
Further information was not available.
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