911 call: Father being chased panics as shots fired at car, grazing his son
On 911 calls released Wednesday, a panicked father can be heard telling dispatchers that someone is chasing his car, firing shots while is drives with his 4-year-old son inside.
Posted — Updated"Someone is following me ... I think they just shot at me ... my son is in the car," the father says.
The man tells the dispatcher he cannot stop his car since he is being chased, saying, "He is shooting again ... I am just trying to keep going because he is still shooting. I have no idea [why they are chasing me]."
A gunshot is audible on the call as it enters the car and grazes the 4-year-old child in the backseat. Police found a slight burn wound on the child's back. Police say the child was wearing his Halloween costume, dressed as a fireman.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office said Monday the shooting likely stemmed from a road rage incident.
Kelly Brandon Long, 41, of Hurdle Mills, is accused of following the father and his child, who were driving on their way to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, and firing a gun at their car several times.
Police say the father drove away, and Long pursued, leading to a chase through downtown Hillsborough.
Three more calls were recorded from residents, sitting down to eat dinner or preparing to celebrate Halloween, who reported hearing the gunshots.
"Bullets were coming right by our house," one says.
"I was sitting here eating my dinner with the window ope and suddenly it sounded like gunshots to me," another caller told dispatchers.
A third said, "I just heard about 8 gunshots. I'm almost at the intersection of Orange High School Road and Miller Road. I know there's kids trick-or-treating."
Long, who works with the Orange County Solid Waste Department, was charged with four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
The wife of the alleged shooter also called 911 during the incident. She told dispatchers that the father rear-ended them and sped away.
“We just got rear-ended ... my husband is following the vehicle – a silver Chevy Malibu," she told 911. "This man is really speeding, he is not slowing down whatsoever.”
Assistant District Attorney Jeff Nieman describes the child's lack of serious injury as a miracle.
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