Key Takeaways
- Darin Young, 45, of Boise was jailed on a felony charge after police say he chased boys who had rung his doorbell and ran.
- The group of boys had pulled a ding-dong-ditch prank at a home on W. Bunkerhill Street around 7:15 p.m. Saturday.
- Young fired a gun during the chase and struck a 15-year-old, who was driven to the hospital by the other boys.
- The 15-year-old suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and no other boys were reported hurt.
- Young was booked into the Ada County Jail on a charge of felony aggravated battery, which carries up to 15 years in Idaho state prison.
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BOISE, ID — A 45-year-old Boise man is in the Ada County Jail on a felony charge after police say he chased a group of boys who had pulled a ding-dong-ditch prank at his home Saturday night and fired a gun, striking a 15-year-old.
Officers were sent to a report of a juvenile problem in the area of W. Bunkerhill Street around 7:15 p.m., according to Boise police accounts as reported by KBOI / CBS2 and Idaho News 6.
Investigators say a group of boys, including the 15-year-old, rang the doorbell at the home of someone they knew and ran. It was a ding-dong-ditch, the oldest prank there is.
The boys later came back to the house. Police say evidence indicates that is when Darin Young, who lived at the residence, chased after them. He fired a gun. The 15-year-old was hit.
The other boys did not wait for an ambulance. They loaded the wounded teen into a personal vehicle and drove him to the hospital themselves. His injuries were described as serious but not considered life-threatening. No other boys were reported hurt. Residents of the home called police to report the shooting.
Nothing in the police account describes a threat to anyone at that house. A doorbell rang and kids ran off. That is a nuisance. Deadly force is justified only against an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm, and a prank on a front porch is nowhere near that line. According to police, the gunfire came after Young went after the boys. Once you are the one doing the chasing, you have left any claim of defense behind.
Carrying a firearm demands a mindset of restraint, especially when you are irritated. Kids messing with your house is a reason to call their parents or call the police. It is never a reason to reach for a gun.
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Young was booked into the Ada County Jail on a charge of felony aggravated battery. Under Idaho law, that charge carries up to 15 years in state prison. Police have not released further details, and it is not clear whether Young has responded to the allegation. The charge is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.
A 15-year-old is recovering from a gunshot wound. A 45-year-old man is facing a felony. It started with a doorbell.
