La. man accused of shooting teen girl who was playing hide-and-seek on his property

LAKE CHARLES, La. (TCD) — A 58-year-old man was arrested after he reportedly shot a 14-year-old girl in the head when she was playing hide-and-seek with her friends on his property.

In the early hours of Sunday, May 7, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a home in Starks regarding a shooting and found the teen girl suffering from a gunshot wound to the back of her head. Detectives from the Violent Crimes Unit arrived at the scene and learned the victim and some of her friends were allegedly play hide-and-seek, and they opted to hide on David Doyle’s land.

Doyle reportedly told investigators he “observed shadows outside his home” and grabbed his firearm. He saw people running away, so he shot at them and “unknowingly hit the girl.”

Deputies arrested Doyle on charges of aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and illegal discharge of a firearm.

According to the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, the victim was taken to a hospital in a different city for non-life-threatening injuries. Doyle is in custody at the Calcasieu Correctional Center.