The man accused of shooting a six-year-old girl and her parents after her ball rolled into his front yard has been arrested after it emerged he was previously arrested for attacking his girlfriend with a mini sledgehammer.
North Carolina police and law enforcement say Robert Louis Singletary, 24, opened fire on Kinsley White, 6, and her parents Tuesday night in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Singletary turned herself in to detectives in Tampa, Florida, late Thursday night Police. Tampa is about 600 miles from Gastonia.
In a press release about the domestic violence incident that took place in December, police said Singletary did not allow the victim to leave for several hours despite feeling “dizzy” after being beaten.
“The victim further stated that Singletary told her she could not leave until she cleared all evidence of the attack,” the release read.
Robert Louis Singletary, 24, who allegedly shot a six-year-old girl and her parents in North Carolina on Tuesday, was previously cited for assaulting his girlfriend with a mini sledgehammer
Six-year-old Kinsley White was shot in the cheek after a neighbor opened fire on her and her parents when her basketball rolled into his yard
Singletary turned herself in to detectives in Tampa, Florida, late Thursday night, according to police. Tampa is about 600 miles from Gastonia
According to the Gaston County Police Department, Singletary turned herself in to officials at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida, around 4:45 p.m.
At the time of his arrest, Singletary had no identification on him.
His identity was confirmed by the Tampa Police Department and processed just before 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday.
The next suspect in the shooting will appear in court in Hillsborough County on Friday, April 21, Gaston police said in a notice.
His court appearance will relate to his extradition to Gaston County, North Carolina.
Speaking to WSOC, Kinsley’s mother Ashley Hilderbrand asked the suspect to turn himself in after it was reported that he had fled.
“Please turn yourself in,” she said. “It was no use what you did.”
As local residents continue to try to understand why the horrific shooting happened, details of his December arrest have since resurfaced.
A December release says Singletary assaulted his 21-year-old girlfriend at his apartment in Gastonia.
Police reported to a local hospital around 9:30 a.m. to speak with the woman who had called 911 after the attack in which she was hit on the back of the head with a mini sledgehammer.
“The victim said she immediately felt dizzy and disoriented after the beating and was bleeding profusely from the back of her head,” a release read.
The woman complied and was held in the apartment for two hours.
While searching the apartment, officers found evidence of the attack, including the mini sledgehammer believed to have been used to attack the woman.
An arrest warrant was later issued and Singletary was charged with assault with intent to cause serious harm, kidnapping and making threats.
Singletary was held on $250,000 he later earned.
“He looked at my husband and my daughter and said to them, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ Hilderbrand said
William White was shot in the back in his own front yard in Gastonia, North Carolina
“I think he would have gotten me and my husband too,” said Carolyn Hilderbrand, Kinsley’s grandmother. ‘He just ran out of bullets’
In Tuesday’s shooting, Kinsley and her father, William White, were both injured.
Hilderbrand said that at the time of the shooting, William was trying to distract the neighbor so other children could escape.
William was hit in the back by a bullet and is currently hospitalized.
Kinsley’s mother told WSOC that she was outside and heard Singletary make a threat to her family members.
“He looked at my husband and my daughter and said to them, ‘I’m going to kill you,’ Hilderbrand said.
She said the neighbor then chased after them during the shooting.
He reportedly kept firing until his gun ran out of bullets.
“I think he would have gotten me and my husband too,” said Carolyn Hilderbrand, Kinsley’s grandmother. “He’s just out of bullets.”
“We don’t even know the guy,” Kinsley told WSOC.
“We don’t even know the man,” Kinsley told WSOC about the man who shot at her
According to neighbors who spoke to local outlets, Singletary was new to the area and known to get angry with the local kids
The young girl spoke to the local news station several hours after the incident and still had bullet fragments lodged in her cheek.
While speaking to reporters, she held her grandfather’s hand and fought back tears.
Kinsley also repeatedly expressed concern for her father’s health.
“Why did you shoot my father and me? Why did you shoot a child’s father?’ Kinsley asked.
According to neighbors who spoke to local outlets, Singletary was new to the area and known to get angry with the local children.