A North Carolina man accused of shooting a 6-year-old neighbor and her parents after a basketball rolled into his yard has surrendered to authorities.
Robert Louis Singletary turned himself in on Thursday to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida, WSCO reported. His arrest comes days after he allegedly opened fire on a family in his neighborhood, wounding a 6-year-old girl and her parents.
Gaston County police had issued multiple warrants for his arrest. He is facing four counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
The incident unfolded on Tuesday around 7:45 p.m. Neighbors said Singletary became upset after a basketball rolled into his yard from a group of local children playing in the street.
A child — identified as Kinsley White — and her father, William White, were seriously wounded in the gunfire while the girl’s mother, Ashley Hilderbrand, suffered a graze wound.
“Why did you shoot my daddy and me?” Kinsley asked during an interview with WSOC. “Why did you shoot a kid’s dad?”
Witnesses said White was trying to draw the gunfire and protect the children when he was struck in the back. He remains hospitalized while Kinsley and her mother have been released.
The shooting is the latest in a string of incidents involving young people who were shot for making minor mistakes.
In Texas, two high school cheerleaders were shot after one of them allegedly got into the wrong car near Austin. Pedro Tello Rodriguez Jr. has been charged with deadly conduct.
It came days after 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed in upstate New York on Saturday. She and three others accidentally turned into the wrong driveway while looking for a friend’s house. The suspect, Kevin Monahan, has been charged with second-degree murder.
On April 13, Ralph Yarl, a Black honor roll student, was shot by Texas homeowner Andrew Lester after he approached the wrong house. He’d been trying to pick up his younger brothers at the time.
Lester, who was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action, pleaded not guilty Wednesday.
