STAFFORD, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man has been arrested after a sheriff’s office says he fired a handgun from a hotel balcony.
The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Tuesday that deputies were sent to the hotel in Stafford after staff at the hotel reported that a guest had reported hearing gunshots around 2 a.m. on June 4.
Deputies reviewed surveillance video and witnessed a group of people on the hotel balcony at 1:57 a.m. who appeared to be taking photos while holding a handgun. They stopped taking pictures at around 2:10 a.m. when the suspect took the weapon and leaned against the railing outside the second-floor room.
Despite not having any audio, deputies saw on the video what appeared to be a shell casing eject above the suspect’s head. The gun owner took back the weapon and the group dispersed, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies found the gun owner, but the person who fired it wasn’t in the room. When he returned, he was arrested and charged with reckless handling, brandishing, shooting in a public area and shooting in a no shooting zone.
Authorities said there were no apparent injuries.