LITITZ, Pa. — Police in Lancaster County have charged a man after he allegedly fired a shot into the nursery of a neighbor's home—while a baby slept in the room—during his attempt to shoot a squirrel.
Dakota Johnson-Ortiz, 24, of Lititz, has been charged with one third-degree felony count of discharging a firearm into an occupied structure in connection to the alleged incident, which took place on February 17 on the 100 block of Guilder Place in Warwick Township, according to Northern Lancaster County Regional Police.
Authorities began investigating the incident when a homeowner contacted police, claiming a neighbor had told her they'd heard a noise that sounded like a gunshot nearby, police said.
The caller went into the nursery of her home to check on her child, and noticed debris on the floor and a hole in the room's drywall, according to police.
As she removed her sleeping child from a crib in the room, the caller discovered new damage to the crib caused by a projectile that had been fired into the room, authorities said.
The child was not injured, according to police.
Investigators processed the scene and interviewed neighbors in the area, police said.
Johnson-Ortiz, who lives near where the incident occurred, allegedly admitted to shooting at a squirrel during the same timeframe of the reported incident, when questioned by authorities, police claim.
Later in the day, police said, a dead squirrel was found under a wood pile near the home that had been struck by gunfire.
