After hearing gun shots from behind her house, a woman on Spring Valley Court noticed a hole in the wall the size of a bullet in the left side of her house Tuesday.

Newton County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the call around 3:40 p.m. to a woman saying her and other family members heard multiple gun shots. According to reports the woman was seated in her living room when she heard something strike the left side of the house.

She then went to the left corner of the bedroom and saw a hole in the wall, reportedly 12 inches from the ceiling.

Deputies discovered a spent round in the basket, and once they were able to go outside noticed the trajectory of the bullet came from behind the residence.

Deputies then went to an address of Hwy. 162 and observed a male who had a holstered pistol in his right side.

According NCSO Sgt. Cortney Morrison the male voluntarily told deputies he was shooting at a target outside his house.

He showed the deputies where he was standing and the direction in which he was firing, which was in line with the Spring Valley Court residence.

Morrison said the 47-year-old male was shooting at a target, which was about 150 feet from a road, a violation of Newton County’s Discharging Firing Ordinance 31-102. The man was issued a citation for violating the ordinance.

The gun-firing ordinance was passed by the Newton County Board of Commissioners in May 2013.

Among other items, the ordinance states that it shall be unlawful for any person in unincorporated Newton County to discharge or shoot any firearm upon the land of another or across the property line of another without first obtaining written permission of such property owner; on property less than two acres in size; within 100 yards of any residence.