Louisiana man shoots 14-year-old girl who was playing hide-and-seek outside his home, officials say

A Louisiana man allegedly shot at children who had been 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 Monday.

Investigators learned that several children were playing hide-and-seek in the Starks neighborhood and were hiding on the neighbor’s 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.

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.

The shooting is the latest in a series of recent incidents sparked by seemingly trivial circumstances.

In Cleveland, Texas, authorities say a 38-year-old man charged into a neighbor’s home and killed five people after he was asked to stop firing his AR-style rifle late at night while a baby was trying to sleep. Francisco Oropeza was arrested after a manhunt lasting several days and charged with five counts of first-degree murder.

In Hebron, New York, a 65-year-old man allegedly killed a 20-year-old woman when she and her friends mistakenly turned into his driveway. Kevin Monahan was charged with second-degree murder.

In North Carolina, a 24-year-old man allegedly shot a 6-year-old girl and two adults after a basketball rolled into his yard. Robert Louis Singletary is facing several charges, including attempted first-degree murder.

In Kansas City, Missouri, an 84-year-old man allegedly shot a Black teenager who mistakenly came to his door after confusing the address with a home about a block away. Andrew Lester has pleaded not guilty to armed criminal action and first-degree assault charges.