Shots fired at parked police cars in DeLand

DELAND, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - DeLand Police want to catch whoever took pot shots at police vehicles parked in their headquarters’ parking lot. Chief Jason Umberger said four of their vehicles ended up with bullet holes.

“Our new police athletic league van had a bullet in the back windshield that lodged in a seat, the tire was shot, a spare police K9 unit was struck with a bullet, our crime scene evidence unit was grazed with a bullet,” Umberger listed.

A police community service car was also hit. Bullets also stripped the bark off two trees. Police say people living nearby heard the shots. One of the neighbors here told them it sounded like, "someone emptied a whole clip of ammunition" at the parking lot.

Neighbors also reported hearing a car with a loud muffler after the shots.

“It's very disturbing, that someone would do that, be that brazen to fire into a police parking lot,” Umberger said, adding that someone easily could have been killed. “One of our corporals was in the lot clearing things out of his vehicle about 15 minutes before that happened.”

The shooter even damaged a van that police use to drive kids to after-school activities.

“That's been a little discouraging because it's a good thing for our community, it's nice to provide a nice vehicle for our kids to ride back and forth safely,” Umberger said.

Police have made other plans to get kids to after-school programs while the van is in the shop. They’re also analyzing the bullets they’ve recovered for clues. DeLand Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to please give them a call.