EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Staff and private aircraft owners from the Doña Ana International Jetport (DAIAJ) report that stray bullets coming from an adjacent property have struck and damaged aircraft, hangars, and other property for years.
They urge Doña Ana County officials to take action before a person is hurt.
“There’s an unofficial area just east of the airport here called ‘the wall’. It’s located in Santa Teresa, and the public generally go out there to use it for target shooting, riding ATVs. But most people don’t know that it’s actually private property,” said Vanessa Martinez, the executive director for the War Eagles Air Museum located in the airport.
The property that Martinez mentioned is located less than a mile east of the DAIAJ, at a steep end of a hill.
KTSM observed multiple people practicing target shooting, firing bullet rounds at the hill. The property was surrounded by short and worn barbed wire, and had a gate open that provided easy access for people to enter.
Martinez believes those bullets often ricochet to the DAIAJ area, which has cost thousands in property damage.
“It’s become an issue because either unintentionally or unknowingly, stray bullets are actually reaching all the way here to our airport. So people’s office windows, hangar buildings, aircraft are being damaged, and we’re talking hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage,” Martinez said.
Martinez said that the most recent incident occurred about three weeks ago, when a stray bullet hit a private jet. She said the bullet barely missed the aircraft’s engine, but that the cost of repair was still expensive for the owner.
“They were out here cleaning their hangar and their airplanes. Both of the doors were open. And unfortunately, their private business jet was parked just right inside of it. Only to realize a few hours later that a bullet nearly hit the engine.
Martinez also recalled her own chilling experience, in which she said a stray bullet flew right past her.
“I was actually out here flying on Christmas Day. I was flying a helicopter here on this helicopter pad that we’re standing on. I was preflight, meaning checking that everything’s safe. I was standing above the helicopter and ensuring the blades were operational. And as I was doing that, I heard a bullet whiz just right by me, and it ended up hitting a building. So, it was a pretty intense experience,” Martinez said.
Martinez said she and others from the DAIAJ have reported the different incidents to both the Sunland Park Police Department and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office.
However, she said law enforcement officials have told her they cannot enter the private property.
Martinez said she and others have continuously raised these concerns at airport advisory board meetings, where they are urging Doña Ana County officials to address the issue.
“We’re asking for the county and whoever is in the position of power to hold the property owner accountable, whether that’s creating signage, ensuring there’s gates so that people don’t access it, creating trenches in the dirt,” Martinez said. “I’m raising my voice on this concern because it is only a matter of time before there’s something worse than property damage. Damage to life.”
Martinez said that until recently, she learned that homeowners in subdivisions south and east of the property have also reported that stray bullets have struck their homes.
“It appears that people accessing this wall area are actually shooting towards the south as well, to where there’s now residential development. So it’s really unfortunate to see that people are going online to share that their homes are now being invaded by a bullet,” Martinez said.
KTSM reached out to both Doña Ana County and City of Sunland Park officials.
The City of Sunland Park offered the following statement:
“The City of Sunland Park is aware of the concerns raised by residents near the Doña Ana International Jetport regarding stray bullets. Because this property is outside of our city limits, we require support from the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office. City officials are scheduled to meet with Sheriff Kim Stewart early next week to discuss this issue and work toward solutions that help ensure the safety and well-being of Sunland Park residents.”
Officials with Doña Ana County informed KTSM that they are working on processing our inquiry.
We will update this story when we receive their response.
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