A 10-year-old reportedly sustained a very real gunshot wound after he and his father allegedly engaged in a drive-by shooting armed with paintball guns, the
Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
What are the details?
Police say that a Florida homeowner believed his home was under attack during the early hours of Sunday evening when 26-year-old Michael Williams reportedly drove his 10-year-old son to carry out a drive-by paintball attack on an Opa-locka-area home.
Williams reportedly told investigators that his son “begged” him to drive to a home where other young people were reportedly gathered on Sunday evening in order for him to fire his paintball gun out the window. It is unclear at the time of this reporting whether the child intended to shoot the group of young people or on the house itself.
Williams told police that he complied with his son’s wishes and arrived at the home, where his son reportedly fired off several rounds from the paintball gun.
The homeowner, who remains unnamed at the time of this reporting, said that he believed his family was under attack during the incident, and in response, returned fire — just one shot that ended up striking the child.
According to the Associated Press report — which did not specify whether the boy was inside or outside the vehicle when he reportedly fired the paintball gun toward the home — the boy then lost his balance, fell over, and was run over by his father’s vehicle. Williams was then said to have grabbed the child and driven him home, where his mother reportedly called emergency services.
There is no information on the child’s injuries or condition at the time of this reporting.
On Thursday, the Miami Herald reported that authorities charged Williams with child neglect and great bodily harm.
Citing a police report, the Herald added that Williams was also accused of acting “recklessly by agreeing to conduct a drive-by paint ball shooting.”
WFOR-TV reported that it was unclear at the time of publication whether Williams has an attorney who is representing him in the case.