A Port Charlotte man is in the Charlotte County Jail without bond after deputies said he fired an AR-15-style rifle from his backyard at neighbors on Sunday evening.
Deputies arrested 44-year-old Dwight Washington White. He is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and failing to register as a convicted felon, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Multiple 911 calls near Orange Street
The Sheriff’s Office received multiple 911 calls just before 5 p.m. Sunday, October 25, reporting a man shooting a gun at a home at 574 Orange Street.
Deputies heard gunshots when they arrived. They issued a shelter-in-place order as a precaution.
While searching the area, deputies saw a man who matched the shooter’s description and detained him in a patrol vehicle. He was not armed. The Major Case Unit came to investigate while deputies kept the area secured.
Bullet holes in a home and a vehicle
Witnesses told deputies that White yelled in his backyard, then pointed the gun at them and fired. Investigators confirmed the man in the patrol vehicle was the suspect.
Nobody was hit. Detectives found several bullet holes in the outer construction of a nearby home on Kellstadt Street and in the rear door of a parked vehicle.
Investigators also found spent casings on White’s property. They found a rifle with a magazine in the laundry room of his home.
Prior attempted murder conviction
Detectives learned White has a 2005 conviction for first-degree attempted murder in Miami-Dade County. The Sheriff’s Office said he also failed to register as a convicted felon when he moved to Charlotte County.
Deputies took White to the Charlotte County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
It is not the only gunfire case the Sheriff’s Office has handled in the area this year. Earlier this year, deputies arrested a woman who fired at a vehicle after a juvenile fight in a Port Charlotte park.
Sheriff responds
Sheriff Bill Prummell criticized White in a statement and praised the deputies who responded.
“It angers me that this dangerous man was living in our community and did not register himself. I am thankful that nobody was hurt by his violent outbursts, but that doesn’t change the fact that an entire neighborhood was put in fear because of his actions. There is no excuse for it, and it will not be tolerated. Thank you to the deputies who ran toward the gunfire to protect the people in the area. Your response may have saved lives. Meanwhile, this young man can get reacclimated to the view through the bars because it seems that is exactly where he belongs.”
The charges are accusations. White has not been convicted of the new offenses.