A quiet Florida neighborhood turned into a war zone over the weekend.
What started as a simple request to keep dogs off someone’s lawn escalated beyond belief.
And a Florida woman’s response to a dog dispute left her neighbors speechless.
When Property Rights Meet Unhinged Neighbors
Homeowner Jonathan Welcher just wanted his neighbor’s dogs to stay out of his yard.
It’s the kind of everyday dispute that happens in neighborhoods across America – dogs wandering where they shouldn’t, property lines getting crossed, and neighbors who need to have an adult conversation to work things out.
But 54-year-old Sherry Lynn Garrison had a different idea about how to handle the situation.
When the Welcher family asked Garrison to keep her dogs off their property on Friday morning around 7 a.m., things went sideways fast.
According to Clay County Sheriff’s deputies, Garrison’s response was to push one of her neighbors during the argument.
The Welchers fired warning shots into the ground on their own property to make it clear Garrison needed to back off.
Here’s where a reasonable person might take the hint and go back inside to cool down.
Garrison wasn’t a reasonable person.
The Moment Everything Went Wrong
Instead of walking away, Garrison marched back to her house, grabbed a handgun, and came back ready for war.
She opened fire on two adults standing in the Welcher’s yard.
But it gets worse.
Garrison also shot into the Welcher family home – where another adult and five children were inside.
Let that sink in for a moment.
Five kids were inside that house when bullets started flying through the walls.
Homeowner Jonathan Welcher was about 30 minutes away when his surveillance cameras caught the whole thing.
“I’m hearing shots ring out over and over in this camera,” Welcher said. “When I see the shot, my first instinct is, who did I just lose?”¹
The family’s security footage shows just how close this came to being a tragedy.
One bullet went through the exterior wall and exited inside the bedroom, right above the pillows where Jonathan and Cassandra Welcher sleep.
The Real Victims Here
Cassandra Welcher was on the phone with 911 reporting Garrison for the initial assault when the shooting started.
“I called just on the assault part with her shoving him,” she explained. “Next thing I know, while I’m on the phone with dispatch, shots are being fired.”²
This family did everything right.
They tried to handle the dog problem civilly.
They called the police when things got physical.
They fired warning shots on their own property to de-escalate the situation.
And their reward was having their home turned into a shooting gallery with their kids inside.
“I just want to be able to enjoy my home,” Cassandra Welcher said after the attack.³
Jonathan Welcher explained how much they’ve invested in their neighborhood: “My wife have built up this life together. We worked really hard for 10 years, we live intense, campers, and sheds just to get to this moment.”⁴
Look What This Really Shows
Here’s what nobody wants to talk about – this kind of thing doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
The Welcher family said they haven’t felt safe in their neighborhood for years because of ongoing harassment from Garrison.
Years of harassment.
Think about that for families trying to build something in America right now.
You work your tail off, save every penny, finally get your piece of the American Dream, and then you’re trapped dealing with an unhinged neighbor who thinks property disputes should be settled with gunfire.
The system failed this family long before bullets started flying.
Where were the local authorities when this harassment was building up over years?
Why does it take attempted murder charges for anyone to take these situations seriously?
And here’s the part that should make you furious – five children almost paid the price for adults who couldn’t handle their business like civilized human beings.
The Arrest That Should Have Happened Years Ago
When deputies finally showed up to arrest Garrison, she fought them too.
Because of course she did.
Someone who thinks shooting at a house full of kids is an appropriate response to a dog dispute isn’t going to go quietly when the law shows up.
Garrison now faces two counts of attempted murder, shooting into an occupied dwelling, resisting law enforcement with violence, and simple battery.
She’s lucky nobody got killed, or she’d be looking at murder charges instead.
The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is asking for anyone with additional information to call (904) 264-6512.
What This Means for Property-Owning Families
The lesson here isn’t complicated – you can do everything right and still end up with bullets flying through your bedroom wall.
The Welcher family tried to handle this the civilized way for years.
They called the authorities.
They tried to protect their property within the law.
None of it mattered when they were dealing with someone who had completely lost touch with reality.
For families trying to build something in America, this is your worst nightmare – an unhinged neighbor who sees violence as the first option instead of the last resort.
The system is supposed to protect people like the Welchers before it gets to attempted murder.
Instead, they got years of harassment and a house full of bullet holes.
That’s not the America we’re supposed to be building.
¹ Action News Jax, “Family speaks after dog dispute that led to shooting in Middleburg,” ActionNewsJax.com, August 23, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
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Author: rgcory
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