An intoxicated and shirtless man in Westerly, RI opened fire on his neighbor's home using corncobs he shot with his homemade PVC potato gun. Drunk Rhode Island Man, while we do not condone your actions, we salute you for Making America Potato Gun Again.
Jeffrey M. Osella, who is 50 and totally knows better, has been fighting with the very same neighbor for more than 13 years, police told a reporter.
On Tuesday night, after the two men yelled at each other for a while about oh whatever does it really matter anyway, Mr. Osella loaded some corncobs into a potato gun he'd fashioned from PVC. He then shot the corncobs in the general direction of his neighbor’s home, according to the cops. These DIY weapons typically use a propellant such as hair spray for combustion.
"This particular incident did not stem from a new argument," Captain Shawn Lacey of the Westerly Police Department told USA TODAY.
Lacey said the daughter of Mr. Osella's sworn foe was riding her bicycle nearby and had to dodge one of the corncob, but no one was hit or otherwise physically harmed. That's pretty creepy and not funny though, shooting things at a child.
It is possible to make a spud gun from open source plans, and you can also buy such a thing on Amazon. We do not recommending getting drunk and shooting in the general direction of your neighbor, or any other person or living thing with it. Spud guns are only for funs.
From the Westerly Sun:
The police said he used a potato gun, a PVC pipe that propels objects with a light accelerant, such as hair spray, that can be ignited by a grill lighter. Another witness told officers that Osella’s daughter was nearly hit by one of the corncobs while she was walking home.
Interim Westerly Police Chief Shawn Lacey said the two men have had disputes regularly over the course of the past 13 years. Osella’s neighbor recently listed his home for sale, according to a police report, and said he was concerned that Osella’s behavior would cause damage and reduce the value of his property or hinder a sale.
After speaking with the neighbor, police reported that they went to Osella’s home, and that he came to the door shirtless with multiple corn kernels stuck to his chest. Osella denied shooting at the neighbor, but admitted firing the potato gun toward the neighbor’s home, the police said.
(Thanks, Gina Loukareas!)
