SEVEN SPRINGS — A prank by two young men on all-terrain vehicles landed both in the hospital after they were apparently shot by a protective homeowner.

16-year-old Christopher Adams is expected to be released from Wayne Hospital Tuesday afternoon and Stephen Johnson, also 16, is still in serious but stable condition at Wayne Hospital, recovering from injuries received in Sunday night's shooting.

Deputies say whoever got angry enough to shoot the two should have called the authorities instead.

A pile of broken eggs sits at the spot where someone shot Adams and Johnson. The two were apparently throwing eggs at homes when someone shot the teens on Adams Road, near Seven Springs.

Through an interpreter, one neighbor said that while throwing eggs is wrong, she is surprised anyone would fight back with gunfire.

Both boys were seriously hurt, though deputies will not elaborate on the injuries. One of the boys stayed on the four-wheeler they were riding while the other crawled to a relative's house nearby for help.

Detectives say they can understand the frustrations of residents whose homes were egged, but say this is not the right way to protect your property.

"The person who did this, all they had to do was call the Sheriff's Department, and we would have somebody out there to look into the situation. But shooting the boys definitely is the wrong answer," says Lt. George Raecher.

If you have any information, or saw anything unusual on Adams Road Sunday night, authorities want you to call CrimeStoppers at (919) 735-2255.

Authorities say they plan to ask the DA to charge whoever shot the boys with assault. They say the homeowner was never in any danger.