Man Hears Gun Shot, Wakes to Hole in His Bedroom Ceiling

A man who lives on the 2300 block of Cowan Boulevard woke up to a shotgun hole in his ceiling, Wednesday, Nov. 19.

The man’s upstairs neighbor, James Earl Brown, 43 of Fredericksburg, was arrested later that day on charges of shooting into an occupied dwelling and reckless handling of a firearm. Brown’s neighbor says he heard a loud noise just after midnight and the next morning saw a hole in the ceiling of the room he was sleeping in, according to Fredericksburg City Police.

Brown allegedly fired a bullet from his gun through the floor of his home into his neighbor’s ceiling while handling the weapon. After officers recovered the shotgun, they learned that it was reported stolen in 2013 from a man in St. Mary’s County, Maryland.

Brown was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail under a $1,000 bond. Police are still investigating the original theft of the gun.

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