INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A neighbor dispute led to shots being fired and a community basketball court being bulldozed within 24 hours period this week.
Surveillance cameras captured the second half of the dispute as a cow and a bull also wandered into Independence’s Spring Branch Gardens subdivision.
The basketball hoops on opposite ends of the cul-de-sac on Powahatan Drive were put up by neighbors for the community to enjoy. Poles for the hoops appear to have been installed in city right-of-way, but neighbors say they got permission from the Bass family who owns the land along the cul-de-sac just in case.
Fred Bass, who lives on the other side of the woods said he`s fed up with kids being on his property as well as illegal dumpers. Reached over the phone, he said he bulldozed the basketball goals out of spite Monday night.
But Bass said he was also angry about an incident that occurred the day before when neighbor Aaron Caster and another man came to his door. Bass said he’s been angry with Caster since 2016 when he blames Caster’s tow truck for damaging his water meter.
Caster said the issue was checked out by city engineers.
“It just eroded and settled but he has it in his head that it was my fault,” he said.
Caster’s tow truck was stolen and later found vandalized two weeks ago. Some time after he said he saw a member of the Bass family snooping around his property.
“It quickly escalated from there before you know it he went inside came out got a gun and started shooting at us,” Caster said.
Bass was cited for unlawful use of a weapon and spent the night in jail Sunday. He said he returned home Monday to find children on his property. He blames the kids for letting out his cows. Neighbors said they felt Bass released the bull to intimidate them.
“It`s just getting ridiculous when homeowners here can not feel safe or have their children feel safe to come out and play it`s not fair to these children,” said a neighbor who asked not to be identified out of fear of retaliation.
Fred Bass was interviewed by FOX4 in 2016 when he stood outside his grandson’s school for a silent protest against bullying.
“He`s been known to stand up for bullying, but he`s bullying everyone here in this neighborhood, and that`s not right. It`s just not right,” one neighbor said.
“The neighbors all laugh about it — Fred`s at it again. But on the other side of it, it`s not a joke obviously. If he`s doing stuff like this and now shooting at me, what`s next?” Caster said.
Bass called Caster’s comments, “bull.”
Spring Branch Gardens subdivision neighbors hope to restore the basketball goals, once they can get assurance they are permitted by the city and not in any way infringing on Bass’s property.