A father, 26-year-old Michael Williams, was begged by his son to do a drive-by paintball shooting at a home where young people were supposedly gathered, according to a police report.
Williams agreed and drove by the home as his 10-year-old son began firing his paintball gun at the house. The homeowner confused the shots for real gunfire and thought his family was being attacked. He then grabbed his firearm and fired one shot that struck the boy. The child lost his balance, falling out of the vehicle and was run over by his father.
The father brought his son home and the mother called 911, according to police. The child’s condition has yet to be released.
Williams has been charged with child neglect with great bodily harm, reported by The Miami Herald, as he “acted recklessly by agreeing to conduct a drive-by paintball shooting.”
Whether or not someone could have distinguished paintball shots from real ones, their home in this instance is still under attack, let alone not knowing if there are multiple attackers.
The homeowner says he felt his family was under attack, so in that sense he is making sure no one is caused great bodily harm by eliminating the threat. Depending on how the home or neighborhood is constructed though, hopefully it was considered where any shots missed could go. Although the person struck was a child, that is a serious case of marksmanship with just one shot considering it was during a drive-by.
The father deserves to be charged with neglect at the very least. There is nothing good done by aiding his child in these actions and obviously shows a lack of discipline.
