An enraged Georgia dad tracked down his teen daughter's location via her cellphone and shot the 17-year-old boy he found with her, cops said.
According to the sheriff's department, deputies from the Habersham County Sheriff's Department responded to a call of shots fired in a church parking lot across the street from two schools in Mount Airy around 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, May 25.
Upon arrival, the cops found 36-year-old Dustin Vandegrift attempting to flee the Central Alliance Church in a white 2011 Chevy Camaro. Police said Vandegrift was detained for questioning. They located the 17-year-old male victim after ensuring that both schools were secure.
Gunshots heard near two schools in Habersham
The Habersham County Sheriff's Office said that the shooting prompted two nearby schools, Habersham Central High School and Habersham 9th Grade Academy, to go on lockdown, according to WGAU Radio.
Deputies said they were called when gunshots were heard on the 200 block of Highway 197 near Habersham 9th Grade Academy and Habersham Central High School. A 911 call came from a business establishment near the 9th Grade Academy.
In a news release, Habersham County Sheriff's Office's Public Information Officer Kevin Angell reiterated that the shooting did not happen on either school's campus. According to the Sheriff's Office, witnesses reported the sound of a gunshot and a young man and woman fighting.
Investigators later determined that the male teen was not hit but suffered injuries from ricochet debris and a physical assault. He was later taken to a local hospital in stable condition. School Resource Officers (SRO) provided initial medical attention to the male juvenile, who was transported to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville by Habersham County EMS.
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Vandegrift tracked teen daughter's cellphone location
Vandegrift told cops he had tracked his teenage daughter's cellphone location to the back of the church and drove there to check on her. When Vandegrift found his 17-year-old daughter with the male teen, he confronted the pair.
Vandegrift then attacked the boy and fired a shot at him. According to Vandegrift's daughter, her father showed up and "battered" the boy she was with before shooting at him. She also said that her father also struck her.
A search warrant executed on Vandegrift's vehicle yielded the .45-caliber pistol he had fired on the teen. The firearm allegedly used by Vandegrift was an M1911. The Sheriff's Office made it clear that there is no danger to the public and that the investigation is ongoing.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree cruelty to children, two counts of third-degree cruelty to children, two counts of recklessly causing harm or endangering safety, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and simple battery involving family violence. Vandegrift was booked at the Habersham County Jail with no bond, according to the New York Post.
