US man allegedly shoots girl, 14, in the head as she plays hide-and-seek

It is seemingly the latest in a series of shootings in the US that have seen people harmed when people have innocently wandered onto the property of a person with a gun.

David Doyle, 58, has been charged with aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and the illegal discharge of a firearm, police said.

The incident occurred Sunday morning in Starks, a small town in Louisiana near the border with Texas, where police received reports of a shooting.

Detectives determined that “several juveniles were playing hide and seek in the area and were hiding on the neighbour’s property,” the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Mr Doyle told them “he observed shadows outside his home, at which time he went inside and retrieved his firearm,” reported the New York Post.

“He then advised detectives he went back outside and observed people running away from his property, at which time he began shooting at them and unknowingly hit the girl,” the statement says.

Miraculously, the girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a local hospital.

Her family told Louisiana broadcaster KPLC-TV that she is recovering well after the horrific ordeal.

The shooting occurred on a dead-end road with only three residents — the suspect, the girl’s family and their relative, according to the news outlet.

Mr Doyle remained in custody Tuesday at the Calcasieu Correctional Center, with his bond set at $US300,000.

His arrest is the latest in a recent spate of shootings involving young victims being targeted by older people reaching for their guns.

On April 13, 16-year-old Ralph Yarl was shot in the head by a homeowner in Kansas City, Missouri, after the teen rang his doorbell, mistaking the residence for the home where he was supposed to pick up his younger twin brothers.

The black honours student was critically injured but survived.

The white suspect, Andrew Lester, 84, was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. He has pleaded not guilty.

Two days later, Kaylin Gillis, 20, was killed by a 65-year-old man in upstate Hebron, New York, after pulling up his driveway while looking for a friend’s house.

Kevin Monahan, 65, was subsequently arrested and charged with second-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

The preliminary investigation suggested that Ms Gillis was struck with one of two bullets fired by the suspect as the driver of the car tried to speed away.

Mr Monahan’s lawyer Kurt Mauser said his client did not know the gun was loaded when he fired at the group.

The car was coming up Mr Monahan’s driveway “at a high rate of speed” and creating “an atmosphere and a fear that there was menace going on,” he said.

This story appeared in the New York Post and is reproduced with permission.