Neighbourly dispute resulted in tit-for-tat windscreen smashing with bow and arrow and shotgun

A dispute between neighbours early on Sunday morning ended with one man shooting an arrow through the windows of a truck and the other man under arrest for blowing out the windshields of his neighbour’s car with a shotgun blast. Dwayne Peters, 31, of Marstons Mills, Massachusetts, went to the home of his next door neighbour, Nathan Hess, 30, between 1:30 and 2am, Barnstable police Detective Valerie Hemmila said.



While there, Peters brought up some racial “stuff” and the two men, who had both been drinking, argued and fought. After Hess managed to get Peters out of his house, Peters stayed on the property and threw things at the house. Hess got his bow and shot an arrow through the window of Peters’ truck, which was in the driveway. Peters was not near the truck at the time. The arrow shattered both windows of the truck and lodged in a trailer in the yard next door.

In retaliation, Peters went to his home and got a shotgun which he used to shoot out both the front and back windshields of Hess’ Volvo before returning to his home where he fired several more blasts into the air. Peters' mother called police, as did other neighbours. When police responded shortly after 3am, they found Peters walking with a shotgun. As Barnstable police officers arrived, Peters charged the officers’ cruiser, throwing himself across the hood of the car.



The officers arrested Peters without further incident. Officers recovered a 12-gauge shotgun and several spent shotgun shells at the scene, which were seized, along with the bow and arrow. Peters was charged with discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling, injury to real or personal property, carrying a firearm without a licence, disorderly conduct, unlawful possession of ammunition and carrying a loaded shotgun on a public way. He was held on $5,000 cash bail and is scheduled to be arraigned in Barnstable District Court. Hess will be summonsed for malicious destruction of property over $250.