Male, 30, shoots 14 rounds at teens playing 'ding-dong-ditch' prank — and wounds 1, police say

A 30-year-old male used a handgun to shoot 14 rounds at teenagers playing a "ding-dong-ditch" prank over the weekend and wounded one of them, police in Maine said.

Police arrived in Harrison around 1 a.m. Saturday in the wake of numerous reports concerning gunshots and screaming, WMTW-TV reported.

'This innocent prank needs to be put on a shelf somewhere and never visited again.'

A police investigation revealed that Vincent Martin produced a 9mm handgun and shot 14 rounds at the teens after they rang the doorbell at 91 Waterford Road, the station said.

Police said as deputies arrived and found blood on the street, one victim — whose name authorities haven't released — walked into Bridgton Hospital with a gunshot wound to the right calf, which wasn't life threatening, WMTW reported.

Martin was arrested on multiple charges, the station said, including aggravated assault and reckless conduct. He was being held on $5,000 cash bail, WMTW reported, adding that a judge ordered Martin to not contact any of the teens or use or purchase firearms and ammunition. There was no inmate listing Wednesday for Martin at the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office website.

Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce told WMTV that "in my mind, the kids should not have been doing what they were doing. However, the individual bringing a firearm and shooting at kids while they’re fleeing is obviously a problem as well."

Joyce added to the station, "People are construing the fact that they can defend their residence, their family, et cetera — and maybe taking it a little over the limit in this particular case. We’re living in a world where it just seems like everybody's on edge."

But it appears the sheriff is no fan of "ding-dong-ditch” as he added, "This innocent prank needs to be put on a shelf somewhere and never visited again."

You can view a video report about the incident here.

Anything else?

Blaze News last week reported that Canadian police recommended charges against an 85-year-old man they said rammed his car into two of three teens who had played a doorbell prank on him in February.

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