US gun violence: Louisiana man accused of shooting a girl playing hide and seek on his property

David Doyle has been charged with aggravated assault and battery after shooting at children who had been playing hide and seek outside his home. Photo / AP

A Louisiana man faces aggravated assault and battery charges after firing a gun at children who were playing hide and seek outside his home, wounding a 14-year-old girl, according to the local sheriff’s office.

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.

David Doyle, 58, remained in the Calcasieu Parish Correctional Centre on Tuesday morning. Jail records show Doyle’s bond was set at US$300,000 ($475,000) and that he has been assigned a public defender, according to a jail staffer.

Neither an attorney at the public defender’s office in Calcasieu Parish, nor the local district attorney immediately returned phone calls seeking more information.

Investigators learned that several children were playing hide and seek in the Starks community and were hiding on the neighbour’s property.

Doyle told detectives 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.

It’s the latest in a series of recent shootings sparked by seemingly trivial circumstances.

Doyle wascharged with aggravated battery, four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm and illegal discharge of a firearm, the sheriff’s office said.