Man’s Errant Bullet Misses Neighbor by Inches in Shocking Apartment Incident

A man in an Arizona apartment complex narrowly avoided a tragedy when a loaded 9-millimeter pistol he was cleaning accidentally discharged, shooting through a shared wall. The incident took place Saturday afternoon on Shea Way, alarming neighbors and leaving one woman shaken by the close call.

Esteban Montes was taking a nap while his sister-in-law was in the kitchen, wearing headphones to drown out noise. She heard a loud crash, prompting her to investigate, suspecting it was just a cat knocking something over. To her surprise, they discovered drywall debris scattered on the floor and soon found that the source was a bullet that had traversed through the wall and lodged into the ceiling, narrowly missing her by inches.

Upon realizing the gravity of the situation, Montes contacted the Maricopa police. Fortunately, neither he nor his sister-in-law sustained injuries from the firearm’s discharge.

Officers arrived on the scene and spoke with 49-year-old Cresendo Brodie. He admitted to cleaning his recently purchased pistol when it went off. According to a police report, Brodie lacked experience with firearms and had relied on YouTube tutorials to learn proper cleaning methods.

In his statement, Brodie detailed how he inadvertently loaded a round into the chamber and released the hammer, which triggered the discharge. Authorities also discovered that he had consumed two beers prior to the incident, along with an open bottle of Crown Royal whiskey found in his apartment.

Brodie has been charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm and endangerment. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine reaching $150,000.