Donna Elkins (Brevard County Jail).
A Florida woman is accused of pointing a pellet gun that looked like a real firearm at two teens who she thought were fishing in her backyard.
Donna Elkins, aged 59, is currently facing two charges of aggravated assault following an incident involving two boys aged 13 and 15. As per the probable cause arrest affidavit released by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, Elkins dialed 911 on March 28th to report that she had made the two boys “petrified” while they were fishing in the pond located behind her residence on Royston Drive.
Upon arrival, deputies engaged with Elkins, who admitted to using a pellet gun to intimidate the boys in an effort to frighten them, as outlined in the affidavit.
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The boys shared their account with the authorities, revealing that they were peacefully fishing when Elkins approached them and threatened to harm them, stating she would “blow their heads off.” Feeling threatened, they believed that violence was imminent and that their lives were in danger. Elkins allegedly instructed them to lie on the ground and prevented them from leaving, causing them to fear for their safety due to the presence of what they believed to be a firearm.
A witness who was with the boys told cops she saw the boys drop to the ground after the defendant pointed the gun at them, the affidavit said. The witness said Elkins continued to walk toward the boys while yelling. It appeared they were “in fear of their lives,” the witness reportedly said.
Elkins’ husband came outside and “disarmed” his wife to diffuse the situation, the affidavit said. Cops recovered the pellet gun.
Orlando Fox affiliate WOFL talked to the boys who said they didn’t think it was a pellet gun Elkins was holding.
“In my head, it was a real gun,” the 15-year-old said. “That she was going to shoot us and kill us and the fact that she was saying she was going to blow our heads off, you can’t do that with a pellet gun. I really thought it was real.”
He told the TV station he couldn’t believe what was happening.
“What she did was wrong,” he said.
Deputies noted that while the boys were about 30 feet behind her home, property lines showed that the area where the boys were standing belongs to the development.
Elkins was arrested and taken to the Brevard County Jail where she has since bonded out. Her next court date is scheduled for April 22.
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