Deputies seized more than a dozen firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and arrested a man after they received a ShotSpotter alert on New Year's Eve in unincorporated Broward County, officials said.
The alert came in around 8:40 p.m. from a home in the 1200 block of Northwest 30th Avenue and when deputies arrived, they heard a barrage of rapid gunfire and took cover, Broward Sheriff's Office officials said.
Deputies surrounded the home and ordered everyone inside to come out. No one was injured in the gunfire.
After getting a search warrant, deputies and investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives searched the home and found 13 firearms, including two short barrel rifles, along with the ammo, officials said.
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The owner of the weapons, 52-year-old Willie Pickett, was arrested on two counts of possession of a short barrel rifle.
"This case shows why ShotSpotter is such an invaluable investigative tool," Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement. "In this case, as in many others, no one in this neighborhood called 911 to report the gunfire. The ShotSpotter alert allowed deputies to respond to this scene quickly, understand the dangers involved and make an arrest, all while removing a significant number of weapons and ammunition from the streets."
