A clash between Deltona neighbors over a boy throwing baseballs at a man's fence turned into a gun battle after a man reported to 9-1-1 operators that his next-door neighbor arrived on his doorstep angry and armed.

Gregory Castellanos, 41, had no idea Thursday afternoon when he built his 9-year-old son a pitching mound in the backyard of his Howland Boulevard home, carefully measured out the correct distance to the plate, and then marked a "strike zone" with painter's tape on the wooden fence separating his property from his neighbors, that just an hour later he'd be sitting in the emergency room with part of his hand blown off.

But that fence belonged to his neighbor who was — just a bit farther away than the pitchers mound's length to the north — trying to enjoy the tranquility of his own backyard as the pitches started hitting the fence.

The argument began around 4 p.m. when Matthew Karnes, 46, said he asked Castellanos’ son to stop throwing a baseball at his fence.

Castellanos told Volusia County sheriff's investigators that Karnes threatened his son, saying, "If one more ball hits the fence, you are going to see what happens," an arrest report states.

From there, surveillance video from a camera at Karnes's home at 1732 Howland Blvd. shows Castellanos arriving at Karnes' house with a "dark object" tucked into the waistband of his pants. The object then fell to the ground when Castellanos adjusted his shirt, the report states.

Karnes told police that he answered the door to Castellanos, who said, "Which way do you want to do this?" Karnes told police when Castellanos picked up the gun he'd just dropped, he pushed Castellanos out of his doorway, shut the door and went to retrieve a rifle.

In a 9-1-1 call moments later, Karnes told dispatchers: "My neighbor came over to my house, to my front door, holding a handgun, a pistol, and pointed it at me," Karnes said. "I said 'Really (expletive deleted)? I went in my house, grabbed my (expletive deleted) rifle and I told him to get the (expletive deleted) out of my yard."

He said he shot at Castellanos three times, "and then he starts (expletive deleted) shooting at me."

According to the report, the video showed Castellanos retreat around the side of the entryway. Several minutes later, Karnes came out with the rifle and looked around the side of the house, at which time investigators said "a muzzle flash is seen coming from the area where Gregory was seen," the report stated. "Matthew ducks back then returns fire one time."

Five shots, two from Castellanos' 9 mm and three from Karnes' rifle, were likely exchanged, the report states.

Karnes was not hit, but Castellanos did suffer a gunshot wound to the hand which deputies reported "was missing a portion of his finger."

Castellanos was treated and released from Central Florida Regional Hospital before being arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, shooting into an occupied dwelling and carrying a concealed firearm, Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Laura Williams said. He was booked into Volusia County Branch Jail but was out of jail Friday after posting $25,000 bail.

When Castellanos initially recounted his version of the events to deputies, he did not mention being armed and said his neighbor answered the door, threatened him, grabbed a rifle and began firing. He told them he "put his hands up, backpedaled and hid on the side of his neighbor's residence," the report stated.

When pressed by police, Castellanos admitted he took a Smith & Wesson 9 mm with him to confront his neighbor, but he didn't remember taking the gun out or firing it, the report states. He also told deputies that he went to the house armed because he has had "numerous run-ins with these neighbors" and he "knows how crazy things get in Florida."

When deputies asked Castellanos to sign a search consent form, he told them he wouldn't be able to sign it normally due to his injury, so deputies filled out the form and Castellanos marked it with a line.

After speaking with both men and reviewing the surveillance video, investigators determined that Karnes had a "well-founded fear" for his safety and that firing at Castellanos was done to "protect his life."

"We do not intend to charge Karnes with anything," Williams said.

------