Woman shot with BB gun at park has BB removed, fears for others
Summer Goddard
Brandy Wallace points to where she was shot with a BB gun during an outing with her children and their friends at Riverside Park in Polson last month. Wallace is doing what she can to spread the word of potential danger while police investigate.
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POLSON — Polson police are currently investigating a BB gun shooting that occurred recently in Riverside Park.
Brandy Wallace had been at the park with seven children, all under the age of 11, when she felt a BB hit her leg. When she looked in the direction it came from, a second BB hit her in the neck. The projectile was imbedded so deep Wallace had to undergo surgery to remove it.
“The fact that they shot through the kids is what shocked me more than anything,” Wallace said. “Then the question was, were they shooting at the kids?”
None of the children were harmed at the park, but Wallace and her family have not returned to Riverside since the incident.
After sharing her story on social media and with friends, Wallace has heard other stories of people shot with BBs in and near Riverside Park. A friend of hers shared that just a week ago her dog was shot with BBs seven times in Polson and came home bleeding. Another woman said she had gone to the park last year and someone shot past her at the lake, so she hasn’t gone back since.
“It’s just kind of scary. I feel bummed out because I can’t take my kids there … It’s a beautiful park. We used to love going there with the kids,” Wallace said.
Polson Detective Hazeez “Zee” Rafiu was called to the scene at the time of Wallace’s incident. Wallace was able to point out the direction from which the shots were fired, and Rafiu spoke with the residents of the two houses from which it could have been shot. One interviewed resident stated there had been other reports of people on the park’s path being shot with a BB gun.
More than one resident at the location owned a BB gun, the police were not able to determine the shooter at that time. They have since returned for multiple conversations with residents and have sent the BB that was removed from Wallace’s neck to ballistics in Helena.
“Officer Zee was so sweet,” Wallace said. “The cops are doing a really good job. They’re doing everything in their power to do something about it.”
Detective Rafiu emphasized the seriousness of the situation.
“Assault with a weapon is a felony,” he stated. “It can result in up to 20 years, or a fine of $50,000, or both… We don’t have a shooter at this point but it’s still under investigation.”
For her part, Wallace is doing what she can to spread the word of the potential danger to other park-goers. She said she’s informed Polson schools’ superintendent, hung signs around town, and alerted newspapers. After hearing stories of others shot by BBs in the area, she wonders how many incidents have gone unreported.
While BBs are a smaller projectile, they are still capable of serious damage and even death. BB impacts have been reported by the CDC to result in tissue damage similar to that inflicted by powder-charged bullets fired from low-velocity conventional firearms. The impact of a BB to an eyeball has also resulted in the removal of said eye in numerous cases.
“I got hurt, but at least it wasn’t horribly so,” Wallace stated. “It was just scary… What would have happened if I’d been looking a different direction?”
Anyone with information about the incident should report it to Polson Police: 406-883-8211.
