A Peach County family says it wants justice after a neighbor reportedly pulled a gun on two kids riding bikes on her property.
On Sunday, the Peach County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to a call about 4 p.m. of a woman threatening two boys with a gun in the Autumn Cove subdivision in Byron, which is about 16 miles south of Macon. The boys, a 12-year-old and 13-year-old, were riding in the subdivision when they heard animal noises. One of the boys, Kaleb, told news station WMAZ-13 that he and his friend were looking to see where the animal noises were originating. Once they started searching for the animals, Kaleb said they were approached by a black car.
Kaleb and other witnesses said the woman, Patricia Compton, approached them with a gun while they were poking around the wooded area.
“My friend Ethan started running, and I just stood there and said, ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot, I’m a kid,’ and I tripped on those rocks,” he told the news station.
The boy’s grandmother, Venita Kennedy, said she went live on Facebook to capture what happened once deputies arrived.
“When the officer was explaining the law to her, she then told the officer that if the kids had approached her, she would have shot them. This is what we’re dealing with,” said Kennedy.
Peach County Sheriff Terry Deese said the situation could not be considered self-defense because Compton was not in danger.
“The basics of it is you have to feel threatened that somebody’s about to do you serious bodily injury or death or serious damage to property,” said Deese.
Compton was charged with one count of aggravated assault and taken into custody Sunday. She has since been released on bond, but there could be more charges.
Kennedy has removed her video from Facebook, but she said she will continue to advocate for her grandson and push for prosecution.
“No kid should ever come outside to play and have an adult pull a gun on them,” said Kennedy.
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