HOMOSASSA, Fla. — Residents in a Homosassa neighborhood are being more cautious while outside after a woman was struck and killed by a stray bullet there the day before Thanksgiving.
- Sandra Ryder, 58, killed by stray bullet November 21
- Residents said gunshots heard from wooded area near homes for years
- No suspects identified in Ryder's death
- More Citrus County stories
"It's a shame. It's really a shame," neighbor Talmadge Duggar said.
According to an incident report from the Citrus County Sheriff's Office, on November 21 Sandra Ryder, 58, was putting a tarp on a generator outside her home on West Wayward Wind Loop in Homosassa with her husband.
That’s when the Sheriff’s Office said she was struck and killed by a stray bullet.
Ryder's husband told investigators he had heard shots all morning, and that they sounded like they were getting closer.
"I was in shock because we look at this neighborhood as a very safe neighborhood," neighbor Cheryl Kruger said.
Neighbors said they've heard gunshots coming from the direction of a wooded area right by their homes for years. However, they say this is the first time anything like this has happened.
"We always thought people were shooting the coyotes," Kruger explained. "We have coyotes across the street."
"We have children and kids running up and down the street and cars going by," Duggar added. "It's a wonder something like this hasn't happened before."
Both Kruger and Duggar have lived in the neighborhood for several years. Now they say they're being much more cautious.
"Maybe looking before going outside, not sitting outside," Kruger explained.
"We haven't sat out front there for a while a few days anyway," Duggar added.
As of right now, the sheriff's office hasn't identified any suspects.