A stray bullet from gunfire in the middle of the night struck the home of Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie while he and his family were asleep, the sheriff said. No one was injured.

Leslie said neither he nor his home in Mendota Heights was the intended target, and authorities were working on determining who was responsible for the gunfire about 4:15 a.m. Saturday from several blocks away.

The bullet broke his daughter's bedroom window on the north side of the house, near Hwy. 13 and Sylvandale Road. She was not harmed, the sheriff said. Leslie and his wife also were home at the time.

Leslie said four homes in the area reported hearing gunshots.

"By the time the bullet hit my house, it was tumbling," the sheriff said. The bullet has been recovered, he added.

In a statement, the Sheriff's Office said, "There is no ongoing or continual threat to the sheriff or anyone else in the neighborhood from this incident. The BCA recovered the bullet and will continue investigating the negligent firing of the gun."

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482