Residents near the 1500 block of Grismer were awakened Sunday morning, July 17, around 3:50 am to the sounds of gunshots from a residence.
As police arrived at the scene, they heard the gunshots and immediately set up a perimeter around the house they believed the shots were coming from. Police summoned their armored Bearcat unit to the scene after an LAPD helicopter overhead confirmed a man was walking in the backyard holding a rifle.
In a written statement, Burbank Police Department Sgt. Brent Fekety said, “Several verbal announcements were made instructing the suspect to surrender. A short time later, the suspect approached officers on foot, unarmed, and surrendered. Five other occupants of the house also exited and were interviewed by officers.
Burbank Police Detectives conducted a search of the suspect’s residence pursuant to a search warrant and recovered one shotgun, two pistols, and two rifles, along with ten expended cartridges in the rear patio area of the property.”
He said that detectives stated the man, identified as 48-year-old Justin Vanfleet of Burbank, was believed to be under the influence of alcohol when he shot his guns in the backyard of his home.
Vanfleet was booked for willful discharge of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, a felony. He has since posted a bond and is due to appear in court on August 11, 2022. Formal charges are pending review by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
No one was injured.
I am a supporter of the Second Amendment and that said, if Justin Vanfleet is convicted of this alleged crime, it is imperative he not have access to firearms again for a very, very long time.
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