Aberdeen man charged after shooting at neighbor’s car
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ABERDEEN — A 56-year-old man was arrested after police say he fired a shotgun at a car and claimed the victim was cheating on him.
Paul James Bradley was charged with felony counts of aggravated assault and misdemeanor injury to property.
If Bradley is found guilty, he faces up to 11 years in prison. An enhancement was also filed for the use of a deadly weapon, which could extend his sentence by 15 years.
The incident happened on May 31 at around 8 p.m., according to court documents. The caller reported to dispatch the car was “shot and losing air.”
The shooting stopped before law enforcement arrived.
A deputy spoke with a woman and a man whose car was shot. He determined both victims were “extremely upset and clearly in fear for their safety.”
The woman alleged it was her neighbor, Bradley, and that the shot originated south of his home.
The man told the deputy they had just left his car and had entered the home when the shots occurred.
Authorities reportedly set up a perimeter around Bradley’s house. He came out after law enforcement addressed him through a speaker.
Court records say Bradley was “smiling and almost giggling about what was going on.”
Before Bradley was arrested, he allegedly told deputies that the woman was cheating and had brought another man home. He admitted to firing a gun outside her home several times into the air from his back porch and the kitchen window. His intent, according to the police report, was “to run the other guy off.”
When asked if he shot the man’s car, the deputy reported Bradley got angry and denied the shooting.
Bradley told the officer he had done everything for the woman. The deputy noted that Bradley’s comments were “typical with a stalker-type behavior.”
A shotgun was recovered from his home. Another deputy reported finding two shotgun wads and saw the car’s right rear tire was losing air.
Police say in court documents that the back window and tailgate were covered in shot marks from a shotgun. Law enforcement found several BBs in the bumper and paint of the car.
Bradley is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 12 at 8:30 a.m. before Magistrate Judge James Howard Barrett Jr.
Though Bradley has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.