Police: Marshfield man shot guns at neighbors’ houses while drunk

A Marshfield man is facing multiple charges after police say he shot guns from his porch toward his neighbors’ houses while he was drunk.

Marshfield police said officers responded around 8 p.m. on Monday to a call from a resident in the area of Ocean Street and Foster Avenue reporting possible gunshots being fired from a home. The resident told police that they heard the gunshots and saw “flashing lights” coming from 4 Foster Ave. and “an older gentleman pacing back and forth on the porch.”

When the officers went to the house, David Planchard, 66, let them in and they detected a “strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from the defendant as he spoke with them,” according to police.

While in the house, a second resident reported the gunshots to dispatch, police said.

“Officers located an empty firearm magazine on the kitchen table and proceeded to conduct a protective sweep of the property at this time,” police said. “They located two Sig Sauer handguns unsecured in a kitchen drawer. Officers requested a K9 specializing in firearms detection to the scene.”

According to police, the officers found bullet holes in neighboring homes located close to Planchard’s residence and a K9 found a bullet casing in a bush in the 66-year-old’s yard.

The gun that Planchard allegedly fired, a Sig Sauer P320 45 Cal., was found by police unsecured in a kitchen cabinet, according to police. Another unsecured handgun was found in the bedroom closet, along with a shotgun, rifle, and ammunition that were properly secured. 

“The handguns and ammunition were taken as evidence and the shotgun and rifle were taken for safekeeping,” police said.

The department said that the shooting did not appear to be directed at any particular victim or neighbor.

Planchard was arrested and charged with multiple offenses, including intoxicated while carrying a firearm, discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a residence, disturbing the peace, and illegal possession of a firearm.

According to police, the 66-year-old was released on $2,540 bail and scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.