Rochester man shoots granddaughter, mistaken for intruder

Published 9:23 pm Tuesday, December 11, 2012

ROCHESTER — Rochester police say a grandfather shot and critically wounded his teenage granddaughter after mistaking her for an intruder.

Authorities say the man and his wife were asleep and awoke to a noise outside about 11 p.m. Monday. The man grabbed his handgun and told his wife to call police as he went to investigate.

Capt. Brian Winters says the grandfather saw a figure at the back door and fired at least two shots. The figure was actually the man’s 16-year-old granddaughter, who he thought was inside the house. The teen had recently been living with her grandparents. She was hit once in the upper torso.

Email newsletter signup

The 61-year-old grandfather reportedly told police there had been a recent burglary at a nearby recreation center and that was on his mind when he went to investigate the noise.