{"id":399653,"date":"2026-09-14T18:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T18:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/399653\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T18:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T18:08:10","slug":"drinking-gunfire-and-only-misdemeanors-fort-pierce-arrests-raise-questions-about-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/399653\/","title":{"rendered":"Drinking, gunfire and only misdemeanors? Fort Pierce arrests raise questions about Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Two 25-year-olds are facing misdemeanor charges after deputies say they drank alcohol while firing a shotgun, rifle and handguns in a Fort Pierce residential neighborhood.<\/p>\n

No one was hurt, but a neighbor who called 911 told CBS12 News he feared someone was being shot when he heard what he described as a \u201cbarrage\u201d of gunfire Saturday night.<\/p>\n

The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded around 9 p.m. Sept. 12 to the 5100 block of Happiness Street after reports of people actively firing guns.<\/p>\n

Deputies identified the two people as Tiffany Rose Lindo and Jacob Robert Mills.<\/p>\n

Investigators say the pair fired multiple weapons, including a shotgun, rifle and handguns, into the ground. Deputies also said both had consumed alcohol before and during the incident.<\/p>\n

The neighbor who called 911 spoke with CBS12 News but asked that his face not be shown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard two gunshots,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then I heard a barrage of AR-15 rounds, then shotgun, and then a barrage of AR-15 rounds again.\u201d<\/p>\n

See also: Florida driver database hacked through compromised police credentials, state says<\/a><\/p>\n

He said he couldn’t tell where the bullets were going or exactly what was happening roughly 300 feet away.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt kind of freaked me out a little bit, just not knowing what direction or where they were shooting,\u201d he said. \u201cWood and drywall don’t stop bullets.\u201d<\/p>\n

The concern was especially personal. The neighbor said his 5-year-old son stays with him every other week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bullets could’ve came through the wall and hit my son,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Why are the charges misdemeanors?<\/p>\n

Lindo and Mills were each arrested on charges of discharging a firearm in a public or residential area and using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol.<\/p>\n

Despite the potential danger described by the neighbor, both charges are misdemeanors under Florida law based on the allegations announced by the Sheriff’s Office.<\/p>\n

CBS12 News asked Fort Pierce criminal defense attorney Brian Mallonee <\/a>why the alleged conduct does not automatically result in a felony.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’d have to ask your lawmakers that,\u201d Mallonee said. \u201cThat would be a question for the guys in Tallahassee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mallonee explained that Florida’s firearm-discharge law includes specific circumstances surrounding where and how a gun is fired. The size of a property and density of the surrounding residential area can matter, but he said negligently or recklessly firing a weapon can be illegal regardless of property size.<\/p>\n

The firearm-discharge offense can be a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in county jail. Mallonee said any eventual sentence would depend on factors including a defendant’s prior record and how reckless or negligent the conduct was.<\/p>\n

Florida also separately prohibits using a firearm while impaired by alcohol or certain controlled substances. That offense is a second-degree misdemeanor, which can carry up to 60 days in jail.<\/p>\n

Mallonee said allegations involving alcohol could also factor into questions about whether someone’s handling or discharge of a firearm was negligent or reckless. However, prosecutors would still have to prove the elements of the charges.<\/p>\n

More serious allegations could potentially lead to different charges if a bullet struck a home, vehicle or person, Mallonee said.<\/p>\n

In this case, the Sheriff’s Office said no one was injured.<\/p>\n

The neighbor said that’s what matters most.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you’re gonna be drinking, don’t touch a gun,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause you don’t know where the bullet’s gonna end up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindo and Mills are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Two 25-year-olds are facing misdemeanor charges after deputies say they drank alcohol while…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-399653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}