Living-Room Marksman Regrets Potshots at Photo of Kadafi

Jeffrey Doctor, who fired a .22-caliber rifle at a photo of Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi in his North Hollywood living room after hearing of the U. S. bombing of Libya, said Tuesday he has learned a hard lesson on behavior control.

“It was a bad decision,” said Doctor, who is free on $15,000 bail after his arrest Monday on suspicion of shooting a firearm in an inhabited dwelling. “I should have just thrown an ashtray at him.”

Doctor, 35, said he recently bought two snapshot-size photos of Kadafi at a record store.

“It said ‘No Kadafi’ on it and had a peel-off back, so I put one on my car and one on my living room wall,” Doctor said.

After watching television broadcasts of the attack on Libya, Doctor said, he was overcome with “spontaneous anger” and began firing at the photo.

Several bullets, however, pierced his living room wall and lodged in his neighbor’s house in the 11500 block of La Maida Street.

No one was injured. The neighbor, who was home at the time, called police. Doctor was arrested and police seized the rifle and photo.

If charged and convicted of the felony, Doctor would face a maximum of four years in state prison.

“I am going to have to learn to take my frustrations out another way,” said Doctor, who lives alone in the rented house. “I feel very close to my country. With the news of the attack and everything else that has happened to Americans, I just looked at the picture and wanted to fire a few shots.”

Doctor said he did not think the bullets would go through the wall of the house.

“It could have been a dangerous situation,” he said. “I guess I am going to have to deal with the consequences.”

Doctor was released early Tuesday morning, police said. The district attorney Tuesday had not filed charges against Doctor, police said.