Authorities arrested a Piru man on allegations of a negligent firearm discharge that sent a bullet into his neighbor's home early Tuesday morning, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. The incident occurred around 4:37 A.M. in the 700 block of Park Street in the unincorporated community known as Piru. Deputies evacuated the victim and his family as a precaution after locating them.
Detectives from the Fillmore Bureau of Investigation, along with field evidence technicians and scientists from the Sheriff's Crime Lab, responded to the scene. Following their investigation, officers arrested Patrick Casas, 41, without incident after he emerged from his residence, a sergeant with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office stated.
A search warrant led to the discovery of 12 rifles, five handguns, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in Casas' home—none of which were legally registered to him. As law enforcement officials combed through the evidence linking Casas to the crime, our community was reminded that such incidences of firearm negligence threaten the weave that binds our collective safety.
The suspect has been booked at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility on charges stemming from the negligent discharge of a firearm into an inhabited residence, as authorities served him with a Temporary Emergency Gun Violence Restraining Order. With Casas behind bars awaiting court procedures, a Ventura County Sheriff's Office sergeant highlighted the serious consequences of improper firearm handling, urging gun owners in our community to handle weapons with "extreme caution."
