Towamencin Woman Accused of Accidentally Firing Gun into Neighbor’s Home

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

Police have filed charges against a Towamencin woman after she allegedly accidentally discharged a firearm into her neighbor’s home in late October.

Sherry Welsh, 55, has been charged with one felony count of discharging a firearm into an occupied structure along with two misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment, stemming from the Oct. 30 incident. She is currently free on $2,500 unsecured bail.

Towamencin Police were called to the 1600 block of Windsor Court at 4:44 p.m. on Nov. 2 for a report of a "suspicious circumstance.” Police said they spoke with the homeowner, who had observed a bullet lying in their second-floor bedroom with a bullet hole on the wall of the bedroom as well as a bullet hole on the ceiling of the bedroom.

Investigators determined the bullet had traveled from the first floor of a neighboring home into the second floor of the victim’s home, according to charging documents.

Police said they contacted the neighbors, one of whom was identified as Welsh, who said she was familiarizing herself with a Glock 9mm Model 17 on Oct. 30 when it accidentally discharged. Welsh said the magazine had been removed from the handgun prior to her holding it, and she was unaware that a round was still in the chamber, according to police.

Welsh also told police she did not think the bullet had penetrated outside of her home, police said.

Court records show Welsh was arrested and arraigned on Nov. 5. Her next court appearance is a preliminary hearing on Dec. 20 at 12:15 p.m. in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using information provided by the Transportation Safety Administration.