Louisiana man shoots child who was playing hide-and-seek, sheriff says

STARKS, La. —  A Louisiana man has been charged with aggravated assault and battery after allegedly shooting at children who were playing hide-and-seek outside his home, striking a 14-year-old girl, officials said.

The girl suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head early Sunday and was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted on social media Monday.

Investigators learned that several children were playing hide-and-seek in the neighborhood and were hiding on the property.

David Doyle, 58, told detectives that he got his gun when he saw shadows outside his home and shot at people he saw running away, unknowingly hitting the girl, officials said.

It’s the latest in a series of recent shootings sparked by seemingly trivial circumstances.

Doyle was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm, the sheriff’s office said. It’s not known whether Doyle has an attorney to speak on his behalf.