A neighborhood dispute in Huntsville, Alabama, escalated into a legal battle after residents were blocked from using a shared driveway, a move their attorney called dangerous and unlawful.
The conflict began over safety concerns tied to a nearby gun range. Homeowners said bullets fired from the Inner Circle Shooting Range were striking their homes, with doorbell cameras capturing the sound of rounds whizzing past.
“Ultimately, if this continues, someone will get shot, and they will either be grievously injured or they will die,” said the neighbors’ attorney, Constantine Post, speaking to NBC affiliate WAFF. “We can’t wait until that happens. Every right comes with responsibility.”
After residents organized and filed a lawsuit against the range’s owner, Zack Hill, the dispute intensified. Hill responded by placing makeshift poles and fencing across a driveway that serves both the gun range and several nearby homes, effectively blocking residents from accessing their properties.
Post described the barrier as “very dangerous,” noting that it was difficult to see at night and posed a serious risk to drivers.
Hill defended the obstruction by claiming it was intended to contain cattle if his business were to shut down. He also suggested neighbors could simply drive around it. According to Post, however, residents were never informed of those plans.
“That just doesn’t make much sense to me,” Post said. “I think you’d end with a lot of cattle being shot.”
Post added that the driveway has been a shared easement for more than 20 years. Under Alabama law, he said, such easements cannot be blocked by a landowner, even if the land itself is privately owned. A Lawrence County judge agreed and ordered the obstruction removed.
Hill declined to comment specifically on the driveway issue but denied that bullets hitting nearby homes came from his gun range.
“They’re trying to paint us as people who want to cause them harm,” Hill said. “I wish them no harm. We want to be able to use our property safely, and we want them to be able to use their property. We want to get this right without causing any trouble.”
With the driveway now reopened, Post and his clients say they are refocusing on their original concern. They are seeking a preliminary injunction to temporarily shut down the gun range while the lawsuit proceeds.
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