An Indiana teenager has been charged as an adult for allegedly opening fire on a rival team’s basketball coach and his family following a tense game, authorities said.
Elijah Preston Earl, 17, was arrested last week and charged with three counts of attempted felony murder in connection with the incident that occurred around 6:30 p.m. local time on Nov. 5 outside the Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield, FOX 59 reported.
The teenager is accused of firing at least three shots from a handgun at the coach of a rival basketball team, as well as his wife and son, as they got into their car in the parking lot, the outlet explained.
Tensions flared after the game, and the coach believed to be the target initially tried to wait for the rival team to leave before walking back to his truck with his wife and son, he told police, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Inside Edition and seen by The Post.
As the family walked away, however, he noticed they were following three young men — including two players from the opposing team and a young man who sat with the coach’s wife at the scoreboard during the game, the affidavit said.
Elijah Preston Earl is now charged as an adult for allegedly shooting a rival team’s basketball coach.FOX59
The young man from the scoreboard was later identified as Earl, while the other two were believed to be his brothers, who were also minors.
The coach noticed that Earl had his hands near his hips, and ushered his family into their car as the shorts beeped, the document states.
“‘As soon as I got in my truck, all you heard was doot doot doot doot, (imitating gunfire),” the coach told police about the incident.
The coach immediately drove out of the parking lot, but the remaining witness later described to police officers how the suspect appeared to target the truck from the parking lot, the affidavit said.
Although no one was injured in the shooting, four nearby cars were damaged, FOX 59 reported.
No one was injured when at least three shots were fired in the arena parking lot.FOX59
Police followed up with Earl’s father, who told authorities he was inside the arena at the time of the shooting and that he believed the coach had fired at his son, not the other way around.
When the father and son were interviewed by police, they both claimed that the family did not have any firearms, the affidavit said.
Investigators, however, responded with photos from Earl’s Facebook that showed him posing with a rifle and a 9mm handgun.
During the interview, Earl also admitted to police that he allegedly owned a gun more than a year ago, while living in Atlanta.
As his story unfolded, Earl could not explain the fact that several eyewitnesses identified him as the shooter, even though his description of what happened in the parking lot otherwise matched others, documents filed Nov. 7 state.
Two cars at the scene sustained at least $750 in damage. FOX59
Earl attended his first court appearance Monday, where a judge declared the teenager indigent and appointed Trampa A. Whalin public defender.
Whalin did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the case, nor did Hamilton County Prosecutor Greg Garrison.
In addition to the attempted murder charge, Earl also faces three counts of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, three counts of pointing a firearm at another, and a handful of misdemeanors, including criminal trespass and unlawful carrying of a handgun, according to online records. .
The teenager has yet to enter a plea, and will return to court on January 25.
“The young man, 17 years old, lashed out. Guns don’t kill anybody but people sure do,” Garrison told FOX 59 about the decision to throw the book at Earl.
“He’s a legal adult because of what he did…It’s a deadly weapon and I take that very seriously.”
Earl is in custody at the Hamilton County Jail, where his bail has been set at $400,000.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
