A prank went wrong…
A Long Island man was recently arrested after he allegedly shot a teen prankster who rang his doorbell in an innocent game of “ding-dong ditch” or “doorbell ditch.”
James Moshier, 64, was charged with assault and recklessly injuring a child with a deadly weapon after allegedly shooting the teen in the arm. Police say the teen knocked on Moshier’s door several times the night of the shooting causing the woman of the residence to believe they were being burglarized.
The boy, who has not been named, had to be airlifted to a local hospital where he is being observed but expected to fully recover.
The incident began on Thursday night when a group of seven teens gathered at a nearby house for a sleepover birthday party. During the night, they got bored and decided to play ding dong ditch – a game where children ring someone’s doorbell and run away before someone comes to the door.
But the young boy’s prank did not go over well and a woman inside Moshier’s home believed they were being burglarized. She then woke Moshier who subsequently fired his shotgun at the boy.
“We had several kids that were running around the neighborhood knocking on doors and running away, and one of the residents felt that somebody was trying to get into the house, felt threatened, felt frightened, and woke up the male occupant of the house, who went to the back door and discharged a shotgun,” Southold Town Police Captain James Ginas told CBS News.
Moshier was charged with assault and recklessly injuring a child with a deadly weapon. He was released on $20,000 bail and is expected back in court next week.
While the boy is expected to be okay, police warned kids to “be smart.”
“Sometimes what we think are harmless pranks turn into major incidents,” Southold Police Capt. James Ginas said.
Watch the video report below for more details: