Ever had a neighbor so awful you feel like you’re living in an episode of Dateline?

I never thought it would happen to me, but then we moved in next to Garry. (Not his real name)

He was already here long before us, and what started as a few odd looks and bad vibes turned into something straight out of a true crime documentary.

This isn’t just a cranky neighbor story—this man has guns, an ego the size of Texas, and zero respect for the law. Here’s the full saga of how one person turned an entire street into a battlefield… and how we’re fighting back.

The Beginning of the Madness

When we moved in, Garry seemed… intense. We kept to ourselves,as we were warned he was difficult. But then, out of nowhere, he decided we were harassing him—even though all we did was exist.

I’ve dealt with some weird neighbors before, but nothing like this.

This all started a little over a year ago. Out of nowhere, I started getting harassing phone calls from blocked numbers—3 to 4 times a week—in the middle of the night, anywhere between 10 PM and 7 AM.

To stop the disruption, I turned on “Do Not Disturb” on my phone during those hours.
The very first night I enabled it, I got three back-to-back calls from a blocked number. The calls went to voicemail… and the voicemail? It was threatening, vulgar, and accused me of prank-calling him.

I was literally asleep. My call log showed zero outgoing calls. I figured maybe someone was spoofing my number.

A few weeks later, I get a letter from the city mediator telling me to stop harassing a neighbor named Garry.

I’d never met him.

Out of curiosity, I looked him up in public records, found his Facebook, and clicked on one of his videos. The second I heard his voice, my stomach dropped—it was the voice from the voicemail.

I no longer had the recording (deleted it before I connected the dots), but I was certain.

Here’s the thing: neither my husband nor I have ever spoken to Garry. When we bought our house, two former neighbors and our current neighbor Bob all warned us about him. So we avoided him completely.

Facebook posts

Months later, I’m scrolling through a local Facebook group when I see a post from Garry naming me directly, accusing me of harassing him.
I took screenshots before it was removed for violating Facebook’s harassment rules—because yes, he was threatening people in it.

I commented back saying we’ve never spoken to him, we sleep at night, and sarcastically added that if “never speaking to someone” counts as harassment, I guess we’re guilty.

I only responded because my family name is rare in our county and I run a local business—so this post was damaging my reputation. I suspect that’s also how Garry got my phone number: I had my business banner on one of my buildings.

I sent the screenshots to the mediator, who told me to file a police report. The police told me to be prepared to use deadly force if he came onto my property. That’s not the outcome I want, but it shows how seriously they’re taking this.

Since then, Garry’s behavior has gotten worse. He yells inside his home at neighbors—audibly from outside. Other people say he’s tried to run them off the road if he thinks they’re “harassing” him.

And then came the guns.

The first time he started shooting off his guns, I brushed it off as target practice. But then it became clear… this wasn’t about practice.

He started doing it to intimidate us. Not just a couple of rounds—full-on, early-morning chaos. My security cameras caught everything: him standing out there, blasting shots toward the ground like it was the Fourth of July.

We called the police. They came, talked to him, left. No real action.

Finding Out We Weren’t the First Victims

After his behavior escalated, we decided to dig a little. That’s when we learned something shocking: Garry has a history.

We tracked down some of his old neighbors. Turns out, they’d been through this exact nightmare. One of them had a mountain of video evidence of Garry threatening them, being aggressive, and shooting guns just like he’s doing now.

Armed with this info (and our own footage), we went back to the police.

The First Glimmer of Hope

We filed another report and handed over everything we had. The police finally admitted this was serious. They said we had enough to justify a protective order for the entire block. Every single one of our neighbors filed (or is filing) under the same case number.

If the judge approves, Garry will be ordered to surrender his guns. If he refuses, they’ll take them under the state’s red flag law.

We also found out Garry had a previous weapons charge for carrying without a permit. Because it was a misdemeanor, he can still legally own guns at home (thank you, loopholes 🙄), but the police are confident the judge will side with us.

It could take up to 30 days to get a court date. But then…

The First Setback

Instead of a court order, I got a letter saying the judge won’t approve a restraining order unless I prove Garry is the one calling me. Without a subpoena, I can’t get those phone records.

And it gets worse—the judge said our videos don’t count as evidence unless submitted by police.

The officer even told me:

“If you want him charged, you’ll need to call 911 every single time he fires a gun.”

And yes, they told me I should give him a “taste of his own medicine” (start making noise at 5 AM). Spoiler: I’m not doing that.

So now the plan is: 911 every time, and tell them I personally saw it.

Pam (one of our neighbors) decided enough was enough. She sent a few of the videos—including a Facebook reel—to a guy she grew up with who works for the sheriff’s department.

He was horrified. He took it to the Sheriff, who took it to the Chief of Police.

This morning, Pam got a call from the Chief himself. He said:

They’re assigning a detective to the case.

The videos were disturbing and they’re taking it seriously.

If Garry “goes off,” we’re to call 911 every single time.

They’re going to try to disarm him and look for charges that will stick.

He didn’t promise an outcome, but this is the most movement we’ve seen yet. Honestly? I’m hopeful—but cautious. Last time, we were told something would happen, and then it fizzled.

If this works, not only will they take his guns, but they might also force him to get mental health help.

Why This Matters

Some people ask, “Why bother taking his guns? He could just buy more illegally.”
Here’s why:
If he’s red-flagged and his guns are seized, any new purchase becomes a felony. If he shoots again after that, he’s not just breaking an ordinance—he’s committing a serious crime that could put him behind bars.

Right now, all we can do is document, report, and stay united.

The Silver Lining

You know the one positive thing Garry has done? He’s united an entire street.

In every other place we’ve lived, neighbors were strangers. Here? We’ve got a full street of friends who have each other’s backs. We talk, we share updates, and we look out for one another.

That alone is priceless.

Today the Detectives arrived at Garry’s Door

This morning he was shooting again at 7:28 am six 911 calls were made. When the officer called me back because he couldn't be bothered to come out. He told me it wasn't illegal to shoot your gun in city limits. Might not be illegal but it is against city ordinance and state law dictates to shoot in city limits you have to have a min of 10 acres and be at least 800 ft away from the next house. He lives on 2.5 acres. So even if you say it isn't against the law it is against city ordnance and should be a $500 fine per instance.

Today, things got interesting.

The detectives finally showed up at Garry’s house. They were there for a while, talking to him, then making their way up and down the street to chat with neighbors before stopping by to talk to us.

Here’s what went down:

They told Garry to stop firing off his guns. (Finally!)

They’re getting my phone records from the phone company to see who’s been calling me between 3 AM and 5 AM. If they can prove it’s Garry, that opens the door for charges—and for me to get that protective order.

They’re taking the entire case to the prosecutor to see if there’s a crime they can charge him with or if they can red flag him.

For now, it’s a waiting game. Will the prosecutor step up? Will the red flag stick? We’ll see what happens next.

Final Thoughts

I refuse to live my life in fear. I can’t bring my chickens inside, and my dogs can’t stay locked up forever. Yes, I’m being careful—I plan shoots when I know Garry is at work—but I won’t let him control my life.

If I do that, he wins. And I’m not about to let Garry win.

Stay tuned for more updates—because something tells me this isn’t the last chapter in this saga. Plus I plan to upload videos in the next day or two of all this.