Bizarre moment $200 inflatable Santa Claus is gunned down in Kentucky drive-by shooting

The wind has gone out of Christmas in one Kentucky neighborhood after an inflatable Santa was gunned down on a resident's lawn in a drive-by shooting.

Footage caught the moment a car swung by in front of the Lexington home and a grinch on board let rip at the smiling figure before turning round and speeding off.

The ten-foot Santa then toppled over backwards before slowly deflating on the grass with an 18-inch wound in his chest.

Homeowner Donald Nelson said he fears the gunman could return after and target other Santas in the West Gardenside neighborhood.

'If they've done one, they'll probably do several,' he warned Lex18.com.

Hours later security footage caught the moment a gunman swung into the close and let rip at the bearded mannequin before turning round and speeding off

The illuminated Santa was waving cheerily over the West Gardenside neighborhood in Lexington when owner Donald Nelson put him up on November 26

Nelson says neighbors have promised to help him repair the tattered remains by Christmas

Nelson was at home with his wife when the gunman approached the home at around 8.15pm on November 26.

'We were sitting on the couch watching TV and we heard a small bang or whatever and she asked me to take a look,' he said.

'When I looked out the front door, we saw the inflatable had fallen over.'

It was only later that he realized his $200 decoration had been the victim of gun violence.

'This is, you know, you're discharging a firearm at someone's home,' he said

'I went back and looked at our home security camera and it actually showed a vehicle turn around in the court and a sound that sounded like a firearm, shoot it,' he explained.

'As soon as that noise went off, the inflatable fell down.

'I mean, there's multiple neighbors that have inflatables too and I mean certainly they could be targeted also.'

Nelson had bought the illuminated Santa days earlier and it had only been up five hours before it was shot down.

But the community is determined not to let the Santa haters win the day.

'We've got some neighbors that can sew and have promised their services to help get him up and going again,' Nelson said.

He has reported the incident to the police and hopes they get their claws into the culprit before something more serious takes place.

'I just beg people to check and see what your kids are doing,' he added.

'If they've done one, they'll probably do several,' Nelson warned, there's multiple neighbors that have inflatables too'

'I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.

'We don't want anyone to get hurt. It's not a cute, fun thing.

'This is, you know, you're discharging a firearm at someone's home.'

'Hopefully people will have Ring cameras, security cameras, that will catch a license plate or give us a better description of who's doing this.'