SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Family members called police after a man was caught shooting a rifle in the backyard of a Bella Vista home inside City limits.
According to a police report, on May 24 around 6:20 p.m. several 911 calls came in about shots fired in Bella Vista.
One of the callers stated her niece and four children left the home where the woman's uncle, Lloyd Petko, was firing several shots in their backyard. The woman told police she was scared so she left the residence with her children.
The woman said that Petko lived in a camper trailer in the backyard.
As police arrived at the home, they walked around to the trailer in the backyard and made contact with Petko. The police report states that it was obvious he was "extremely intoxicated."
When asked if he had been firing a gun, Petko originally told police no, but then stated yes he was test-firing his new gun.
He told police that the gun was laying just inside his trailer and they could secure it.
Police found an AR-15 rifle with a loaded magazine and a round in the chamber in Petko's residence.
Petko said he was shooting at a tree that was about 25 yards from his trailer. Police told him it was illegal to discharge a firearm in city limits and that there were several houses in the direction he was shooting.
The report states that Petko then began to apologize and asked if he had hurt anyone. No injuries were reported.
Petko was arrested and charged with Aggravated Assault and Discharge of a Firearm in City Limits.
