PRYOR CREEK, Okla. -- Police say a man shot his neighbor's 14-year-old son after he and his friends played a prank on New Year's Day.
A homeowner called police shortly after midnight to report a possible home invasion near Fairland and 15th Street in Pryor Creek. Officers arrived and found Cole Peyton outside the home with two gunshot wounds.
Police Chief Steven Lemmings said officers had already been in the area responding to complaints about someone knocking on doors and running off. That's what he believes Peyton and two of his friends did just before the shooting.
"It's extremely difficult because you have someone that feels like they're protecting their home," Chief Lemmings said, "and then you have some parents that feel like their kid's been treated wrong here."
Family members said a man came outside his home and started firing several shots. They said bullets struck Peyton in the right wrist and in his abdomen as he tried to run away.
The 14-year-old boy underwent surgery Monday to fix damage to his gallbladder and liver. Family members said the surgery went well, and Peyton is now listed in stable condition at a Tulsa hospital.
Police have not made any arrests in this case, but investigators are now working with the OSBI to determine if the shooting was justified.
"We're going to talk to the neighbors, talk to the kids, talk to the owners of the residence," Lemmings said. "Then we're taking it all up to our district attorney to determine if it's justified."
The suspected shooter did not want to comment Monday about what happened at his home.
The shooting surprised many neighbors like Johnathan Watkins, who moved onto the quiet street about three years ago.
Based on the information he heard from police, Watkins said no shots should have ever been fired.
"If somebody was to be breaking in his house, then I understand," Watkins said, "but if they weren't in his house, it shouldn't have happened."
