Kinsley White: 6-year-old girl shot in the face by neighbor who was upset that a basketball rolled into his yard
GASTONIA, NORTH CAROLINA: A manhunt is underway in Gastonia, North Carolina, for Robert Louis Singletary, 24, who is considered "armed and dangerous" and is believed to have shot several people, including a six-year-old girl and her parents. The shooting occurred at around 7.45 pm on Tuesday evening in the 4700 block of Grier Street near April Drive.
One family member was reportedly taken to the CaroMont Regional Medical Center in critical condition, while the other is stable. The other shooting victims were later taken to hospitals in Charlotte for further treatment.
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'He came out with a gun, and he started shooting'
A bullet also grazed a woman, but she was not injured, and a fourth person was shot at but escaped injuries. Family members of the six-year-old girl, identified as Kinsley White, reported that the violent incident stemmed from a neighbor who was upset that a basketball rolled into his yard. Kinsley spoke with Queen City News following the shooting, saying, "He came out with a gun, and he started shooting. Hope my daddy is okay." Kinsley was released from the hospital overnight after being treated for bullet fragments to her cheek. The girl's father William White, was also shot and wounded in the incident, and her mother Ashley Hilderbrand was hit by a bullet, reported WSOC-TV.
'I heard the pow, pow, pow, pow, and I thought it was fireworks'
“I heard the pow, pow, pow, pow, and I thought it was fireworks,” Ashley Hilderbrand, the mother of a shooting victim told the media outlet before adding, “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,"
Police have obtained warrants for Singletary's arrest, and he is facing several charges, including four counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and a count of possession of a firearm by a felon. Singletary is described as a 6-foot-2 man with brown eyes and black hair, weighing 223 pounds.
In December, Gastonia Police charged Singletary with the brutal assault of his 21-year-old girlfriend with a mini sledgehammer. He faced charges of assault with intent to inflict serious injury, kidnapping, and communicating threats and was in the Gaston County jail on a $250,000 bond.
'This sort of violence will not stand'
Gaston County Police Chief Stephen M Zill said, "I want to say to the people of Gaston County – this sort of violence will not stand." He added that his top priority is to ensure the safety of all citizens in the county. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are asking anyone with further information to contact Detective J Brienza at 704-866-3320 or Crimestoppers at 704-861-8000. A Crimestoppers reward of up to $1,000 has also been announced for information.