A 10-year-old boy’s father allegedly took him on a fake drive-by shooting using a paintball gun, and was shot by a real bullet when a homeowner returned fire, the Miami Herald reported.
Michael Williams, the 26-year-old father of the boy, told Opa-locka police the prank was his son’s idea, according to the Miami Herald. The boy’s father told authorities he asked to be driven by a group of young people gathered together Sunday night and wanted to shoot his paintball gun out the window, the Miami Herald report claimed. The Washington Post reported that a witness claimed the father and son were wearing ski masks during the paintball drive-by shooting, which Williams denied.
I’m glad the kid’s gonna be ok. But this was not good parenting. https://t.co/d8uMmZ2Nbu
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) June 2, 2021
The owner of the home hosting the gathering told police he mistook the paintball-gun drive-by for a real drive-by shooting, the Miami Herald reported. Thinking his family was under attack, the man returned fire, according to the Miami Herald.
A Florida dad agreed to take his 10-year-old on a “drive by shooting” with his paintball gun. When the boy fired into an Opa-locka crowd from inside his dad’s van, a man pulled out a gun and fired, wounding the boy and sending him to the hospital. #flapol https://t.co/m6exME6o02
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) June 2, 2021
One shot hit the boy, causing him to fall and get run over by his father’s car, the Miami Herald report said. Williams then reportedly drove the boy home and the boy’s mother called 911. The child was not killed in the incident, but further details about his injuries or condition were not released. (RELATED: Mom Shoots 5-Year-Old Son While Aiming For Loose Dog, Police Say)
Williams has been charged with child neglect with great bodily harm because Williams “acted recklessly by agreeing to conduct a drive-by paint ball shooting,” a police statement reported by the Miami Herald said.