KPD e-News Release: Late Night Negligent Gunfire into Neighbor’s Home Results in Felony Charges

	Kingsport Police Department 200 Shelby Street • Kingsport, TN 37660 ThomasMPatton • 423-229-9433 (Desk) • 423-224-2786 (FAX) http://Police.KingsportTN.gov • www.KingsportPDBlog.com
NEWS RELEASE
SUBJECT:		Late Night Negligent Gunfire into Neighbor’s Home Results in Felony Charges
DATE:		March 20, 2017
CASE #:		17-006311

GENERAL NARRATIVE
On March 18, 2017, sometime between 11:00 PM and Midnight, the residents of a home in the 300 block of Clinch Street were awakened by a loud noise; however, at the time, they were unaware of its origin. The following morning, they made a startling discovery and contacted the Kingsport Police Department. The resultant investigation revealed the following: A bullet hole was discovered in the exterior wall of the home. The bullet had traveled across the living room but was fortunately stopped when it struck an opposing interior wall. A small bullet was located underneath the couch and was collected as evidence. The entry point of the bullet into the home was aligned with the home next door, with an exit hole being located in a window where the bullet is believed to have left that residence. Officers spoke with Terry Sulfridge and another resident of the house next door. When asked, he initially lied, telling officers that there were no firearms in his home. After being asked several more times, he finally acknowledged that there was in fact a gun in the home. Officers located a .22 caliber rifle under the bed in the same room where the bullet had exited the window. Officers then asked who had fired the rifle. Once again, Mr. Sulfridge was dishonest and denied that the rifle had been fired. After repeated inquiries, he finally came clean and admitted that he had “accidentally” fired the rifle. At the time of this incident, the home that was struck by the negligently fired shot was occupied by seven people, to include two adults as well as five minors ranging from 0 to 15 years of age. The rifle was seized as evidence and secured at the Kingsport Justice Center. Mr. Sulfridge was arrested for Felony Reckless Endangerment and transported to the Kingsport City Jail. He has since been released after posting a $1,500 bond as specified by the presiding magistrate.

SUSPECT INFORMATION
Name	Terry W. Sulfridge
Age	Date of Birth 11/1/1983 33 Years of Age
Gender/Race	Male/White
Residency	328 Clinch Street Kingsport, TN
Charge(s)	Felony Reckless Endangerment