6-YO Girl & Her Parents Allegedly Shot by Neighbor After Their Basketball Rolled Onto His Backyard | “It Was Very Scary”

Trigger Warning: The following contains mentions of gun violence and violence against a child, which may be distressing to some readers.

A man in North Carolina shot and injured a 6-year-old girl and her parents after they went to fetch a basketball that had rolled into his yard by accident. This incident is the latest in a succession of recent shootings that were prompted by what appeared to be insignificant events, NBC reported.

The station was told by witnesses that the shooter ran up and down the street firing until he ran out of ammunition. According to the Gaston County Police Department, they are still looking for the alleged shooter, 24-year-old Robert Louis Singletary, who has been described as “armed and dangerous.”

Kinsley White, the 6-year-old, was hospitalized after suffering injuries to her face. Family members told Queen City News that she was discharged the previous night. William White, her father, is still in the hospital, after having sustained serious injuries. “He came out with a gun, he started shooting,” Kinsley, still traumatized, said to the outlet. “Hope my daddy is OK,” the little girl wished.

“We don’t even know the man,” Kinsley told WSOC, appearing on camera with stitches in her cheek. “Why did you shoot my daddy and me? Why did you shoot a kid’s dad?”

Ashley Hilderbrand, her mother, was injured by a gunshot and given first aid on the spot. “I heard the pow, pow, pow, pow, and I thought it was fireworks,” said the mother of the 6-year-old. “Then I heard the pow, pow, pow, and everybody started yelling, get in the house, get in the house, get in the house, get in the house.”

She overheard the shooter threatening to harm her husband and daughter. “I’m going to kill you,” he threatened them. Then, according to Hilderbrand, he pursued them while firing, with William White attempting to defend Kinsley. A fourth individual was also fired at but was not hurt. Multiple accusations are brought against Singletary, including four counts of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of felon in possession of a handgun.

“It was very scary,” her mother said on Wednesday, April 19. “My daughter actually got to come home last night. She just had a bullet fragment in her cheek.”

Kinsley's aunt Jessica is now raising funds on GoFundMe to support the expenses of the family, describing the incident as "unimaginable and will forever haunt my niece." The fundraiser shared, "Kinsley has and will continue to go to therapy for this as well as forever have a scare to remind her of the day that could have been her last," adding, "This GoFundMe is set up to assist in getting the kids the help they will need and the doctor bills that will ensue following my brother's release."

References:

https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/north-carolina/gaston-county/police-search-for-suspect-after-gastonia-double-shooting/

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/police-respond-gaston-county-neighborhood/HKCPDYZVJJDG5EYQ3FF3H4OOKM/

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/national-international/neighbor-girl-6-and-parents-shot-wounded-over-stray-ball/3138988/

https://www.gofundme.com/f/j9bma-medical-bills-and-family-support

Cover Image Source: GoFundMe