Robert Louis Singletary, the North Carolina man who was accused of shooting a 6-year-old girl and her parents after a basketball rolled into his yard, has been arrested in Florida. Here is what we know so far:
The Arrest
Singletary turned himself in to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday afternoon. Gaston County police confirmed his arrest and stated that he was some 600 miles away from the shooting. Hillsborough County arrest records confirm that Singletary is being held on a fugitive warrant with no bond. Local authorities were able to confirm Singletary’s identity and notify North Carolina police that he was in custody. He is scheduled to appear in Florida court on Friday for his extradition.
The Charges
North Carolina authorities charged Singletary with four counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury. Singletary has a criminal history, as online records show. He was convicted in 2017 of felonious assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury, and released from prison on parole in September 2020, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.
The Victims
Singletary is accused of opening fire on four of his neighbors, hitting two, grazing one, and missing another. William White remains in serious condition at a Charlotte hospital, having suffered a punctured lung and liver damage. His wife, Ashley Hildebrand, was grazed in the elbow. His daughter, 6-year-old Kinsley White, was released from the hospital after having bullet fragments removed from her cheek. A verified GoFundMe aims to raise $50,000 for their medical bills and other family supports.
Eyewitness Reports
Neighbor Jonathan Robertson said children came to retrieve a basketball that had rolled into Singletary’s yard, and Singletary — who had yelled at neighborhood kids on previous occasions — went inside, got his gun, and began shooting. Hildebrand told CNN that her family had nothing to do with the basketball game; they had been outside grilling while Kinsley rode her bike.
District Attorney Travis Page’s Vow
Gaston County District Attorney Travis Page is vowing to hold Singletary accountable. “We’ll be damn sure to be loud and clear” when the case goes to court, Page said. “The people of Gaston County will see and hear our commitment to that prosecution.”