A 6-year-old girl reportedly shot a basketball into her neighbor’s yard after an additional man, allegedly her parents’ neighbor, rolled it in, according to ABC News in Gaston County, North Carolina.
The suspect, Robert Louis Singletary, turned himself in to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida, as stated by the Gaston County Police Department.
The Gaston County Police Department received a 911 call at 7:44 PM on Tuesday about a shooting. Investigators later determined that a male adult was grazed by a bullet, while a separate female was also grazed. Additionally, a female juvenile and another male adult were seriously injured in the incident.
According to the authorities, White sustained a bullet injury and is currently in critical condition. Law enforcement stated that Hildebrand suffered a superficial bullet wound, while Prather was shot but not struck. The three adult victims were identified by the police as William James White, Ashley Hildebrand, and Derrick Kenneth Prather, all hailing from Gastonia. The authorities also mentioned that the 6-year-old, whose identity will not be disclosed, also sustained a gunshot injury.
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Both White Kinsley and William, a son and father, were allegedly fired upon by Singletary, a neighbor approaching with a gun, as they were being transported. According to ABC affiliate WSOC Charlotte News, neighbors told authorities that Singletary began shooting after a basketball from a local group of children playing on the street rolled into his yard.
In an emotional interview, Kinsley’s father was asked why he shot a bullet that caused visible stitches on her cheek. He was asked, “Why did you shoot me and my daddy?”
As per Ashley Hilderbrand, his accomplice, White was shot from behind in his very own front yard while Singletary discharged a complete magazine in the direction of his nearby resident. White’s relatives claim that he attempted to attract gunfire towards himself in order to safeguard his family.
“He gazed at my spouse and my child and declared to them, ‘I intend to eliminate you,'” Hilderbrand stated.
Singletary’s has been arrested by the Gaston County police for multiple warrants. He is charged with four counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
According to the authorities, Singletary is expected to make an appearance in a Florida court on Friday regarding his extradition to North Carolina.
In December, Singletary held his girlfriend captive in an apartment for a duration of two hours, attacking her with a small sledgehammer, resulting in a severe bleeding wound on the back of her head.
The victim further stated that Singletary informed her that she could not leave until she had cleaned up all the evidence from the assault, including the December release press reading.
I want to say to the people of Gaston County that I, Zill M. Stephen, the Chief of Police, will not tolerate any form of violence.