A Minnesota man shot a 17-year-old girl after she asked him not ride his lawn mower in her yard.
Chad Pickering, 40, of Bemidji, shot the girl three times as she stood on her deck Monday evening. The teen was shot in her right thigh, left ankle, and her chest. Her injuries were treated at Duluth hospital.
The girl told investigators that a man who lived nearby had been riding his mower through her yard and that he regularly carried a pistol in his holster. She explained that she had spoken to him before about trespassing on her property and he denied her requests.
Officials say she went outside to tie up her barking dog when she saw the shadow of someone crouching in the yard. She then heard three gunshots and felt bullets striking her. She fell onto her deck and had to pull herself into the house to dial 911. Investigators found three .45-caliber shells in the grass near the teen’s deck. Also discovered was an area about 75 to 100 feet away from the home where someone apparently had been lying in the grass under a tree.
Police discovered a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol with a holster in an air vent after searching Pickering’s home. Pickering told investigators he had not seen the gun in a week or so. Officers noticed a fresh grass strain on the front of his jeans and Pickering explained that he may have gotten the stain while kneeling to hook the trailer to his mower.
When Police pointed out the holes in his statement, Pickering said he had taken his kids for a ride with the mower and after he returned home, the teen came out to confront him about trespassing. Pickering later confessed, telling investigators that he went to her home, knelt by a tree, and fired at her twice after she came out.
Pickering appeared in Beltrami County court on a felony charge of attempted first-degree murder. His bail was set at $300,000.
SOURCE: StarTribune | VIDEO CREDIT: YouTube
