GAFFNEY, S.C. – A mother tells us someone shot her son as he was riding in a truck with his father and brother in Cherokee County.
The shooting happened Tuesday night near Kraft Street.
Tammy Rising said her 10-year-old son Caleb was hit with what’s called rat shot. He’s in the hospital with 10 BBs embedded in his face. She said one is below his eye. Two centimeters higher and it could have blinded him, she says.
Tammy says her husband and Caleb’s 18-year-old brother were repairing a truck for the teen to drive. Caleb wanted to go along when they took the truck for a test drive. During the short drive around the neighborhood, Tammy says they were confronted by a man who wanted to know why they were riding through the area. There was a bang moments later.
She says at first they weren’t sure if it was fireworks or rocks and they rushed home to take a look. “He had blood all over him,” she said.
They realized Caleb had been struck with BBs and drove him to the emergency room.
Tammy says several BBs were removed before he was transferred to another hospital. Ten BBs are still in his face and a surgery team will decide later Wednesday if the benefits of removing them outweigh the risks, she said.
“He’s handling it very well,” she said of her son.
But the fourth grader keeps asking why someone would shoot him, she said.
She said Caleb is scared to ride his bike or come home after the shooting.
According to deputies, Allen Williams Jr. was arrested and charged with attempted murder.
