Woman Shoots Gun Into Air During Argument, Takes Out Neighborhood Internet

MISSOULA, MONTANA — A woman was arrested after police say she fired a gun into the air during an argument between her fiance and his brother. The woman told police she didn’t have a gun, because she wasn’t allowed to own one. A handgun was later recovered in a laundry basket, loaded, with children nearby.

A neighbor called police to report a gunshot, and police came into contact with people at the home where the shot was thought to have occurred.

A male was in the trailer and said he and his fiancé had been arguing over an issue with their children. Officers also located 32-year-old Jasmine Giffin in a bedroom. She said she heard arguing but was asleep.

Officers also made contact with a male that was attempting to leave the area. He told an officer that he and his brother, Giffin’s fiancé, were fighting, and Giffin fired a single round into the air to get them to stop. Because of conflicting stories, officers cleared the scene.

via local media

The neighbor who called police had called again in the morning, complaining of an internet outage that began the night before. That’s when it was discovered that the gunshot had done roughly $10,000 worth of damage to equipment.

“An investigation was initially done, but a repair technician located a bullet hole in a fiber optic cable near the residence in questions the following morning, which cut off internet services to customers,” a detective said. “A subsequent investigation indicated Giffin had fired a handgun in the air when two other males were involved in a disturbance in front of her residence. A search warrant was ultimately obtained and officers located a handgun in her residence. She was subsequently arrested for criminal endangerment for firing the firearm in the air.”

Police got a search warrant for the home and entered, finding the gun in the laundry basket. One of the children inside the home reported that they saw Giffin with a gun the night before and that she hid it in the bedroom. She is currently being charged with felony criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.