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A 58-year-old man in Starks, Louisiana, has been charged after being accused of shooting a 14-year-old girl who was playing on his property.
Thankfully, the child survived and was “treated for non-life threatening injuries” at a nearby hospital, per a Facebook post from the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office.
As for the suspect, identified as David Doyle, he was booked and charged with aggravated battery. Additionally, he faces four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, along with a charge of illegally discharging a gun.
AP News reports that his bond was set at $300,000, and he was still in the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Center as of Tuesday morning. Reportedly, a jail staffer noted that Doyle had been assigned a public defender.
Authorities note that the incident occurred on Sunday, May 7.
After officers arrived on the scene, they observed the teen was “suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of her head.” Further investigation uncovered that “several juveniles” had been playing hide-and-seek, with some “hiding on the neighbor’s property.”
Doyle, the property owner, told authorities that he retrieved his gun after he “observed shadows outside his home.”
Then, the 58-year-old shared he “went back outside and observed people running away from his property.” In turn, he “began shooting at them and unknowingly hit the girl.”
Authorities add that the investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.
Of course, it’s necessary to point out that this situation comes on the heels of the shooting of Ralph Yarl.
As The Shade Room previously reported, an 84-year-old man named Andrew Lester was hit with two felony charges after shooting Yarl — a 16-year-old who mistakenly rang the doorbell of the wrong house.
The Kansas City, Missouri, incident prompted protests and a unity walk, and it sparked widespread conversations about gun violence and racism.
