A Louisiana man was arrested after he allegedly shot his 14-year-old neighbor in the back of her head on Sunday.
The man told police he unintentionally shot the girl after opening fire on a group of people running away from his home—kids playing hide-and-seek–as it later turned out.
Property Owner Retrieved Firearm After Observing Shadows Outside His House
In the "early morning hours" of the day, according to a news release from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to a tiny Lake Charles neighborhood for a reported shooting.
After the wounded teenage girl was found at the scene, detectives were summoned, discovering that several children had been playing in the area, hiding on a neighbor's property.
"When detectives spoke with the property owner, David V. Doyle, 58, [of] Starks, he stated he observed shadows outside his home, at which time he went inside and retrieved his firearm," the sheriff's office said.
Doyle Started Firing as He Saw People Running Away from His Home
Doyle then told the investigators he went back outside and began firing at the people he saw running away from his home, striking the girl in the back of her head.
The girl was taken to a hospital out of town with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff's office. Family members told KPLC 7 News, a local NBC affiliate, that she was "okay and recovering."
Doyle Charged with Aggravated Battery, Assault, Illegal Discharge of Firearm
The 58-year-old was booked at 6:45 a.m. that morning, online records show on charges of aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm, Doyle remained in custody as of Monday night. An investigation into the matter is ongoing, police said.
The shooting comes a month after a 16-year-old student, Ralph Yarl, was shot by an 84-year-old Missouri resident, after the teenager rang the wrong doorbell. Just two days later, a 20-year-old woman named Kaylin Gillis was killed by a 65-year-old man in upstate New York after pulling up his driveway while looking for a friend's house, as previously reported.
