MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — A routine dispute over a dog in a quiet Middleburg neighborhood on Bee Hive Road escalated into a dangerous situation Friday morning when gunfire broke out, leaving residents shaken but miraculously unharmed.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office reports that the incident began just after 7 a.m. and quickly spiraled from a verbal argument into gunfire. Action News Jax Nicholas Brooks spoke with the residents about the scary event.
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Homeowner Jonathan Welcher, who was about 30 minutes away at the time, saw the shots ring out on his surveillance cameras. “I’m hearing shots ring out over and over in this camera,” Welcher said. “When I see the shot, my first instinct is, who did I just lose?”
According to deputies, 54-year-old Sherry Lynn Garrison got into a confrontation with her neighbors after her dogs repeatedly entered their yard. Welcher recounted the escalating tension: “We were trying to tell her to please get your dog out of our lawn. We even threatened one point that we’ll shoot this dog. We fired off some warning shots because the dog is still loose at this time.”
The victim reportedly fired warning shots on his property after warning Garrison not to return. The dispute became physical when Garrison pushed one of the neighbors, prompting Welcher’s wife to call the police.
“I called just on the assault part with her shoving him. Next thing I know, while I’m on the phone with dispatch, shots are being fired,” Cassandra Welcher explained.
Deputies said Garrison went inside her home, retrieved a handgun, and returned to open fire, targeting the neighbors in the yard and shooting into the home where another adult and five children were inside.
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In footage and images from the scene, the bullet can be seen entering through the outer wall and exiting inside the bedroom, just above the pillows on the bed where Jonathan and Cassandra sleep. Remarkably, no one was injured.
“I just want to be able to enjoy my home,” Cassandra Welcher said, reflecting the family’s desire for peace after the traumatic event.
Jonathan Welcher emphasized how much they have invested in their home and neighborhood: “My wife have built up this life together. We worked really hard for 10 years, we live intense, campers, and sheds just to get to this moment.”
Garrison was arrested after resisting deputies violently. She now faces serious charges, including two counts of attempted murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling, battery, and resisting arrest with violence.
The family said they have not felt safe in their own neighborhood for years due to ongoing harassment from this neighbor. The incident has left the Welcher family on edge, hoping for a peaceful resolution moving forward.
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