The search for a suspect involved in a shooting in a North Carolina neighborhood ended on Thursday when 24-year-old Robert Louis Singletary surrendered to police in Tampa, Florida. Singletary, who allegedly opened fire in a neighborhood and shot a six-year-old girl and her father, was taken into custody.
The Gaston County Police Department released a statement confirming Singletary’s arrest and that the investigation into the shooting was still ongoing. The exact circumstances of his apprehension remain unclear.
According to the neighborhood residents, the incident may have been sparked by children playing basketball in the street. Neighbors reported that Singletary became upset when a ball rolled into his yard, and he started yelling at the children who went to his yard to retrieve it.
The father of one of the kids approached Singletary to address the issue, but Singletary went inside his house, came out with a gun, and began shooting indiscriminately. He chased residents until he ran out of bullets, and witnesses reported that it was a terrifying scene to see little children running for their lives.
During the chaos, a bullet fragment hit a six-year-old girl named Kinsley White in the left cheek. Kinsley’s father, William James White, was shot in the back, and Kinsley’s mother, Ashley Hildebrand, was grazed by a bullet. The family was not involved in the basketball game, and they had been outside grilling while Kinsley was riding her bike.
According to the sheriff’s office, Kinsley was released from the hospital overnight, but her father remained hospitalized in serious condition. Singletary’s arrest does not conclude the investigation into the shooting, and authorities have yet to provide any further details about the case.
Singletary faces four attempted first-degree murder counts, two assault with a deadly weapon counts, and one count of gun possession. He was released on a $250,000 bond.
The suspect has a criminal record and was arrested last December and charged with kidnapping and assault for attacking his girlfriend.
