GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County man accused of shooting two young brothers with a BB gun will remain in jail without bond while one of the boys still has a BB lodged in his head nearly a month after the attack.
The boys, ages six and seven, were shot while walking home from the school bus on Margate Court near Lawrenceville on March 24, according to Gwinnett County police.
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Investigators said 48-year-old Shihchen Chou opened fire with a BB gun because he told police the children were “going through his yard,” according to an arrest warrant.
One of the BBs struck the younger child in the back of the head. Another hit his older brother in the neck.
The six-year-old is now scheduled for surgery next week to have the BB removed, his mother, Estefani Gonzalez, told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson.
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The BB remains lodged in the back of his head and still hurts, according to her.
Neighbor Zulma Navarrete, whose son was also shot at but not hit, returned to court Wednesday with the boys’ mother to find out whether Chou might be released.
Chou waived his preliminary hearing on Wednesday, meaning he will remain in jail without bond until at least his next court appearance.
“We are still scary about what happened if they [are] released,” Navarrete said.
Navarrete told Channel 2 Action News that the shooting happened just minutes after the children stepped off the school bus. She believes Chou’s actions were deliberate and not a misunderstanding.
“Because he say the first time he says playing, but I don’t think so he’s playing,” she said.
Chou is charged with first degree cruelty to children along with aggravated assault and two counts of battery. Prosecutors argue he’s a danger to the community. Navarrete agrees.
“People like that, they need to stay,” she said.
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