Police chief mistakes daughter for intruder, shoots her after sneaking in late

A police chief shot his daughter after mistaking her for an intruder as she attempted to sneak back in the house and then crashed his car while taking her to hospital.

Easton McDonald, a deputy in Loudon County, Virginia is thought to have been getting ready for work early on Tuesday morning when he fired at the 16-year-old in the garage.

The teenager, who has not been named, is said to have suffered a bullet wound to her torso and remains in hospital at Winchester Medical Center where she is recovering.

According to the Winchester Star, McDonald heard an intruder alarm going off which showed that his garage door had been opened.

It is claimed he grabbed a gun when he heard other sounds and then approached the garage.

He allegedly fired a shot when he saw a person coming towards him but when he turned on a light, he realised it was his daughter.

It is thought that the girl was trying to sneak back into the house without getting caught after leaving earlier that morning.

McDonald then attempted to drive his daughter to hospital for medical treatment but on the way there he crashed his car.

Winchester Fire and Rescue service then had to transport the girl the rest of the way there.

Captain Donnie Lang from Frederick County Sheriff’s Office told Your4state.com: ‘When he went to go investigate what had set off the alarm, he heard some banging and rustling around in the garage. At that particular point, he obtained a firearm that he had there in the kitchen area.

‘Later on, it was determined that the daughter had snuck out hours earlier that morning, and was attempting to sneak back into the home.

Read more at The DailyMail Online.