A six-year-old girl and her parents were shot at by their neighbour in North Carolina on Wednesday as their basketball rolled into his yard. A police official said that the accused Robert Louis Singletary (24) turned himself in on Thursday after a two-day manhunt. The accused is facing four counts of first-degree murder as two other victims, a woman and a man also got injured during the shooting, reported BBC News. He is also being charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and also for the possession of a firearm by a felon.
Police in Gaston County first received a 911 call about the shooting at 07:44 pm (local time) on Wednesday, reported BBC News. A neighbour while talking to reporters said, "They were playing basketball, and a ball rolled into his yard. They went to go and get it. It was just crazy." The neighbour named Jonathan Robertson, who lives in the Gaston County neighbourhood added, "We just never expected it in a million years. We never expected anybody would break a gun out amongst all those kids."
As per the police, the suspect went inside, came out with a gun, and started firing at everyone around. The victims were struck as parents rushed to gather their children and take them to safety.
Post the incident, the minor victim has spoken about the shooting in an interview with a local news channel. ABC News quoted her as saying, "The bullet came back and the bullet went in my cheek."
She added that her father remained in a hospital in Charlotte and is being treated for punctured lung and liver problems after he was shot in the back. Her mother while talking to the reporters said, “He looked at my husband and my daughter and told them, ‘I’m going to kill you,’” reported The Guardian.
Gaston County Police Chief Stephen Zill on Wednesday said, "this sort of violence will not stand".
The accused has had a police encounter in the past as well when he allegedly assaulted her girlfriend with a sledgehammer in December last year.