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Police say man shot at son

Christina Nelson

Saying he was shooting a warning shot into the air to scare away a prowler, a 56-year-old Truckee man was arrested after a bullet reportedly hit a car occupied by his 17-year-old son.

According to Truckee Police Department reports, on the night of May 7 the son came home from work and saw his father come out of the Bernese Lane house with a 12-gauge shotgun. The son reported that he started to drive away when his father shot at him.

The son then drove to the police department to meet with officers, said Sgt. Dan Johnston.



Earlier that night, the father, Darrell Woodward of Truckee, had called to report a prowler in his Tahoe Donner neighborhood at 10:43 p.m. on May 7.

“The initial call was that they scared off some prowlers,” Johnston said, but Woodward never explained during the call that he had shot his gun.



Woodward, according to police reports, later explained to officers that he let off a shot into the air to scare the prowler away.

Johnston said he believes the father’s statement – that he fired into the air as a warning shot – “is completely false” because the bullet was shot into the son’s car from only 17 yards away and the shot hit the vehicle one foot off the ground.

“His story is full of holes and inconsistencies,” Johnston said.

Police reports say that more than 197 pellet holes were discovered in the son’s vehicle.

“We’re faced with the sad problem of a 17-year-old kid in high school who can’t go home right now,” Johnston said.

Woodward was arrested on felony charges of suspicion of child endangerment, shooting at an occupied vehicle and negligent discharge of a firearm.

Woodward is being held at the Nevada County Jail. His bail was set at $50,000.


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