Bullet Nearly Strikes Sleeping Mansfield Teen: Police

MANSFIELD, MA — Monday night, a sleeping teen found something that they did not expect to find in their room - a bullet in their room, police said.

Just past 9 p.m., Mansfield Police received a report from a man who said that a bullet was shot at his Eddy Street apartment and he was holding the bullet in his hand. At the scene, police determined that the shot came from a downstairs apartment and entered the caller's 15-year-old child's bedroom. The bullet nearly hit the child, striking the bureau near the bed instead.

Following an investigation, Timothy Downs, 29, of Mansfield, was arrested and charged with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace and improper storage of a firearm, according to the Mansfield Police Department.

Downs told police that he accidentally fired the weapon. He is not licensed to possess a firearm, according to the Sun Chronicle.

In Attleboro District Court, Downs was ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Oct. 25.

Police have obtained a search warrant for Downs' apartment and say that additional charges are likely.

Image: File Photo