Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY
Tue, May 9, 2023 at 11:21 AM PDT·1 min read
A Louisiana man is facing felony charges after authorities said he shot a 14-year-old girl in the back of the head while she and other children played hide-and-seek on his property.
David V. Doyle, 58, was arrested and booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center and charged with aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and illegal discharge of a firearm, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office reported.
Officials said the shooting took place early Sunday morning in Starks, a small community in southwest Louisiana near the Texas state line.
The girl was transported to a hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
US shootings increase: From Texas to California, US sees acceleration of mass shootings
‘Rays of sunshine’: Family, community mourns Texas mall shooting victims
A game of hide-and-seek
Deputies were dispatched to a home in Starks for a report of a shooting and observed a 14-year-old girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of her head, the release states.
Detectives later arrived at the scene and learned several children were playing hide-and-seek in the area and were hiding on the neighbor’s property.
When detectives spoke with Doyle, he reportedly told them he observed shadows outside his home and went inside to retrieve his firearm, per the release. Detectives said he told them he then went back outside, observed people running away from his property, began shooting at them and “unknowingly hit the girl.”
The case remained under investigation on Tuesday.
