A Florida landscaper was struck in the back by a stray bullet during a U.S. Air Force training exercise at a police gun range, according to a federal lawsuit reviewed by The Independent. The incident occurred on May 22, 2024, when Neftali Madrid Paredes, 33, was clearing palm trees near the Palm Bay police training facility.
The lawsuit alleges that members of the 308th Rescue Squadron from Patrick Space Force Base were participating in a weapons familiarization course at the range. The training involved belt-fed machine guns and high-powered rifles, including AK-47s and PKM machine guns, supplied by Maxim Defense Industries and Redback One. Madrid Paredes and his coworkers were accustomed to hearing gunfire from the range but noticed the shots were closer than usual, with bullets flying overhead and striking nearby trees.
Around noon, Madrid Paredes climbed down from his excavator for a lunch break and sat on the ground when he was suddenly hit in the back by a .30-caliber round, according to the complaint. He was airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Florida, with non-life-threatening injuries. Attorney Sadi Antonmattei-Goitia said, 'He was lucky as hell that none of his critical organs were hit.'
The lawsuit claims that multiple projectiles were fired over the range's berm during the exercise. A Palm Bay police report cited an airman who stated that a ceasefire was called at around 1:30 p.m. after someone reported being shot. The airman said he did not observe any safety violations but was willing to bet that a round had gone over the berm.
Madrid Paredes was not identified by name in initial reports, and the circumstances of the shooting have not been previously disclosed. The lawsuit was filed on April 8 in Orlando federal court against the U.S. government and the companies involved.
